Local group guards fallen soldiers' sacrifice

But all Patriot Guard Riders, with chapters throughout the nation and members from Southern New Hampshire and the Merrimack Valley, respect a soldier's sacrifice.

They show it at funerals for fallen soldiers, forming a flag line at a burial or funeral service, or escorting a procession.

The reason Bob Broneske, 45, of Londonderry joined the Patriot Guard Riders four or five years ago no longer exists. He joined to protect grieving families from disrespectful people from a Kansas church, whose parishioners protested funerals with signs splashed with hateful words.

"Now, it is primarily about honor and respect for the soldier and the sacrifice they have given," he said.

Broneske, a defense contractor who likes riding motorcycles, is retired from the Air Force. His father is a retired officer from the Army.

Carmela Previti, 65, of North Andover is neither a veteran nor a motorcyclist, but the third-generation Italian-American said her grandparents and parents instilled in her a sense of gratitude for freedom.

The real estate broker joined the Patriot Guard Riders in February. She said attending funerals or burials is an emotional experience.

Protocol calls for those in a flag line to stare straight ahead. Previti said she thinks about the soldier and what they are going to miss about their families.

Arline Grant, 43, of Hampstead is an Air Force veteran, but not a motorcyclist. She had attended two soldiers' funerals before she ever knew there was such a thing as the Patriot Guard Riders. The Hampstead Town Hall employee said she was glad to discover them.

"Wow, there are people like me," she said she thought. "I don't have to do this alone."

Since then she has been photographing the events to make slide shows for the families or friends of the fallen soldiers. She said the emotional impact hits her hardest at home during the photograph editing.

"I sit here with a box of tissues and I'm a mess," Grant said. "I have a glass of wine in one hand and tissues in the other."

Her ties to the military are strong. Both her grandfathers were World War II veterans and her father is an Army veteran.

Pearce, an Air Force and Army National Guard veteran, is a ride captain for the Essex and Middlesex counties' Patriot Guard Riders.

He rides in honor of his father, a World War II Army veteran who landed at Normandy and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and in honor of his son, a soldier who has served three tours in Iraq.

Pearce, who joined the Patriot Guard Riders about two years ago, said the group serves at the behest of the grieving families, typically making first contact with them through a military casualty assistance officer.

"It's about the families and the men and women who have given blood for our freedom," Pearce said. "It's good for the families and friends to know that there is someone who gives a damn."

Most of the time, the families welcome the Patriot Guard Riders, although on occasion they want a small, private ceremony, Pearce said.

Broneske said sometimes family members of fallen soldiers end up joining the Patriot Guard Riders.

They have one member, the father of a fallen soldier, who rides a motorcycle painted with his son's name on it.

The group's mission also includes soldier send-offs, homecoming welcomes and school visits.

Patriot Guard Rider Mike Lee of Lawrence, 51, a Navy veteran, was part of a group that spoke to elementary school children about Memorial Day.

Lee told the boy it was important for him to remember all the good things about his brother, to keep his memory alive.

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Photos

Staff Photographer