christopher-palazzo-1christopher-palazzo-2christopher-palazzo-3
Ride Report for Ride Captain RJ

Forecasts of a winter storm made us move our staging location and shorten the length of the escort; a blustery winter wind made us gather inside McHenry (IL) Harley-Davidson rather than wait outside in the parking lot, but we were not to be deterred.  We were on a mission.
Our hero arrived in a stretched black limousine before the ride brief and before our LEO support arrived, but it just goes to show that a Welcome Home mission is a work in progress up until the very last minute.  Our mission was to show our support for Pvt Christopher Michael Palazzo and treat him like a rock star and failure was not an option.
We tucked our hero back into his limo while we stood in the bone-chilling wind making frantic phone calls quick planning decisions.  And finally we were off on a 20-car motorcade with full LEO escort for the 3 mile ride to a nearby (heated) barn, where family and friends waited.  As we neared, we could see that we weren’t the only ones standing out in the Arctic wind as a crowd of flag-waving supporters appeared.
Inside, hugs and presentations were the order of business, starting off with McHenry mayor Sue Low.  It was grand.  And then we back out in the freezing wind, but with a little glow inside.

RJ