From: Virginia Patriot Guard Leadership Team

To:      Virginia Patriot Guard Riders

 

Subj:  Covenant of Respect

We, the Virginia Patriot Guard (VAPG) Leadership Team, work for you.  Our goal is to support the troops, law enforcement officers and first responders that have been placed in our care by their families, per the Patriot Guard Rider (PGR) mission statement, in the safest way possible.

We started on the flag line and we still stand the flag line.  This organization is not about us.  We don’t own it, we don’t run it, and we don’t control it.  You listen to us on missions and follow us, because you want to, not because you have to.  We, every last Rider in the PGR, are volunteers.  What “leadership” does is make contact with the right folks for setting up missions, plan those missions, ensure the details get disseminated and execute them as safely as possible.  You won’t get ‘orders’ from an RC in Virginia as we are not a “para-military,” “militant organization” or a “motorcycle club.”  PGR and VAPG are a collection of Patriotic Volunteers that get a level of satisfaction in doing the right thing.  The “leadership” is only here to make it easier, safer and smoother for all the Riders in their pursuit of showing respect.

Without the Riders we are nothing but a couple of Red Hats trying to cover it all on our own.  We have the same drive that all the Riders have.  We will always respectfully request your assistance.  No one will belittle you or your choice of rides, be it bike or cage.  We truly appreciate every single Rider and their dedication to this mission.  Whether you can only make 4 missions a year or 4 missions in a month, we thank you for being there.  We don’t ask anyone to try to ride every mission, only those missions of which they are capable.  While we recognize the outstanding group of individuals we see at almost every mission, there is no ‘club’ or ‘clique’ mentality.  No “Sara’s Riders” or “Dave’s Army”… We welcome all and all are part of the Virginia Patriot Guard. If you are unable to attend a mission, please consider leaving a condolence on the National website or, for Send Off and Welcome Homes, a message of encouragement and support.

You will get your hand shaken and probably a hug at missions.  You will never hear anyone in Virginia refer to anything in the PGR or VAPG as “What we built…”  Egos really have no place in what we do.  The moment that occurs, the focus has changed from the one we are here for, to being about us.  That’s when we would need to step down and just hold a flag.  There is no ‘pride in authorship’ for what the RCs do here.  We don’t do anything that anyone else couldn’t do.  There isn’t anything special requiring expert knowledge.  All of the Virginia ‘Leadership” knows they are not irreplaceable.  We know that good people would step up in a heartbeat to carry on what needs to be done.  We have no driving need to be recognized or ‘in-charge.’  If we were to have a disagreement that we could not resolve then we would just turn in our Red Hats, get blue ones and stand the flag line.   It’s more important than individual vanities.  We know we don’t deserve anything other than the honor of “Standing for Those Who Stood for US.”  It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been Riders or Ride Captains (RCs), Assistant State Captains (ASCs) or the State Captain (SC).  It doesn’t matter how many missions we’ve attended or planned.  To steal a phrase from another PGR Rider, “The only mission that matters to the family, is the one you are on now.”

Every ASC in Virginia, as well as the State Captain, can be reached via the vapgbod@virginiapatriotguard.org email address.  We solicit your inputs, suggestions, gripes and complaints.  All of our individual email addresses are available on the Virginia Patriot Guard Website.  We are always available at the Staging Area, Rally Points or after the mission if you want to bend our ears.  We would definitely welcome input on anything that would increase our ridership of patriots who are “Standing for Those Who Stood for US.”  We aren’t just looking for ‘atta-boys,’ we’re looking for the ‘aw-crap’ too, so we can make it better. Thank you for your support and dedication!

 

The Virginia Patriot Guard Leadership Team

Adapted from Maryland State Forum: B. Parnes, 23 April 2008

Edited for Virginia by Woody “Rustpicker” Wagner, VAPG ASC 16 October 2009

Edited and Updated by Becca “Lady Harley” Landick, VAPG SC 02 August 2019

Approved by VAPG Board of Directors 04 August 2019