[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 121 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   FLORIDA PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS--STANDING FOR THOSE WHO STOOD FOR US

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2012

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on this, the somber anniversary of 
the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation, I rise to say thank you to 
the more than 7,000 members of the Florida Patriot Guard Riders who 
have provided invaluable support to the families of the fallen and 
injured servicemembers in the ongoing war against terrorism.
  With the motto of ``Standing for Those Who Stood for Us'', the 
Patriot Guard Riders provide motorcycle escorts for our fallen as they 
take them to their final resting places. They provide escorts for our 
injured servicemembers as they return home. And they provide color 
guard support for hundreds of ceremonies throughout our state of 
Florida and our Nation as we honor those who wear and who have worn the 
uniform throughout our history.
  In the past month alone, hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders joined as 
we escorted Staff Sergeant Matthew Sitton of Largo, Florida, home to 
his final resting place. Staff Sergeant Sitton paid the ultimate price 
for freedom when he was killed by an IED blast in Afghanistan. 
Thousands and thousands of Matthew's friends and neighbors, and 
thousands more who had never met Matthew or his family, lined the 
streets of Tampa and Pinellas County to say thank you to him and his 
family as hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders provided a mile long escort 
to honor this American hero and his equally heroic family.
  The Patriot Guard Riders were with us when we opened a Clearwater, 
Florida exhibit to remind us to never forget the lessons of the 
Holocaust. They lined the exhibit area with American flags as a tribute 
to those who served our nation during World War II, ``The Greatest 
Generation'' who restored freedom to Europe and freed the Nazi 
concentration camps.
  The Patriot Guard Riders were also with us last week when we opened 
the new USO Lounge at the Tampa International Airport, to provide a 
place to support the thousands of troops who pass through Tampa 
annually, and to support their families when they come to await their 
return from their deployment and from their hospitalizations. Again, 
the Patriot Guard Riders lined the halls to show their thanks and their 
respect for our veterans of all generations as we dedicated this new 
facility.
  Mr. Speaker, the Florida Patriot Guard Riders are led by State 
Captain Mike Donohoe, and Assistant State Captains Thomas ``T-Man'' 
Brown, Al Kaufman, Dave ``Buzzard'' Clark, Terry Hanifin, and Doug 
Horton. If space permitted, I would list the names of all 7,000 of the 
Florida riders who served our nation in uniform and who continue to 
serve their brothers and sisters in uniform.
  The mission of the Patriot Guard Riders throughout our nation is to, 
``show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and 
their communities.'' It is also to, ``shield the mourning family and 
their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of 
protestors.'' Both of these missions are critical to our troops and 
their families. Throughout our nation's war against terrorism, my wife 
Beverly and I have been asked by the injured Soldiers, Sailors, 
Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen at our military and veterans 
hospitals if the American people continue to support their mission. The 
Patriot Guard Riders make sure that when these American heroes return 
home, they know they are loved and appreciated by the people of their 
hometowns.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that my colleagues will stop and say a 
word of thanks every time they see a Patriot Guard Rider back home in 
their communities. These men and women do not serve and ride for their 
own personal recognition. They ride and they stand in formation as a 
group to say thank you from a grateful nation and to do as their motto 
states, to ``Stand for Those Who Stood for Us.''

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