Five men met in Mulvane, Kansas at the American Legion Paul Stewart Irwin Post 136 on November 8, 2005. They started a new organization, the Patriot Guard Riders, to show respect to fallen soldiers and support their loved ones at funerals and visitations. Today, the grassroots organization has grown to more than 350,00 registered members with a large number of additional individuals and families who participate in flaglines, services and parades. The original mission of honoring fallen soldiers has grown to recognizing first responders, active duty military personnel and veterans. These Americans come from all political parties, religions and work situations. They are patriots making a difference for good in their communities and states all across America.
A true behind the scenes look at the Patriot Guard Riders, and their role in honoring America’s Heroes. Ride along with them as they stand and honor those who have given so much to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today. Each story tells a different tale, but together they make an indelible impression on the reader, and gives you a deeper understanding of why these patriotic men and women do what they do. You will not be able to put it down.
American Motorcyclist magazine, the official journal of the American Motorcyclist Associaton, tells the stories of the people who make motorcycling the sport that it is. It's available monthly to AMA members. Become a part of the largest, most diverse and most enthusiastic group of riders in the country by visiting our website or calling 800-AMA-JOIN.
Pastor's wife, Kirstie Donovan, lives life in a fishbowl, so when she hops on the back of a bright pink motorcycle, tongues start to wag at the conservative, century-old First Independent Christian Community Church of Eels Falls. Kirstie loves roaring down a road less traveled by most women over forty, but she's not just riding her bike for the fun of it. Kirstie has a ministry. However, certain church members have secrets to hide, and when God uses Kirstie's ministry to fill the pews with leather-clad, tattooed bikers, those secrets could be exposed... and some will stop at nothing to hide the truth. Join Kirstie and her motorcycle "gang"—two church matrons and a mouthy, gum-smacking non-church member—as they discover that road-toughened bikers are quite capable of ministering to others, and faith is fortified in the most unexpected ways.
Successful Tails is a heartwarming collection of stories and photos of therapy dogs at work. The testimonials and stories run the gamut of emotions. Some will make you laugh or smile, while other will bring tears to your eyes. This book isn't just for people who want to become therapy dog handlers or staff at sites and programs that would like to have therapy dogs for those they serve, though both of these groups will find it useful. This book is for everyone.
When they talk about it now, the Boudreau siblings will say all the moving they did as children left them lacking their own, true sense of place—all thanks to their crazy parents. But all those moves are just a part of this story. After surviving physical and psychological abuse and more than seventy moves all around Boston by age eighteen, Michael Boudreau escaped into the wild blue yonder before returning home after thirty years. His father had long died, his mother’s psychological grip remained firm, and his several siblings were still coping with bitter feelings they held toward them both. Most of them were mired in painful memories but clinging with a vanishing hope that somehow Ma would show contrition and offer penance for herself and her late husband. Nevertheless, the author jumped back into the center of his sideways family in hopes of helping them all—including himself—to find answers, healing, and maybe even forgiveness.
Changing Roads, a book of poems written by TFSneider, is mostly true-to-life experiences. It is a mix of rhyming ballads, sonnets, and short quatrains and couplets created by a motorcyclist, grandfather, son, and friend. Many will make you sit and contemplate your life experiences dealing with a painful relationship, fun at a local bar, the passing of different seasons, and a vision to a biker’s past, present, and future. After a long day of riding kick off your boots, grab a beer, and ride through my pages of life.
Godspeed: Riding Out the Recession chronicles the author's experience of a solo bicycle trek of over 14,000 miles around the USA. Departing from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio on Memorial Day of 2011, he returned just over a year later after promising his Dad that he would be back home in time to celebrate his 90th birthday. Seeing adversity as an opportunity, the journey was his response to the crippling effect of the recession upon his work as a carpenter/contractor. Renting his home and shutting down all of his expenses, he created a food and lodging budget of $15/day. Maps and smart phone were the major expenses of his experience. "Wild camping" his way around the country, he shares the curious and compelling nature of how people and events showed up for him along the way. Was it simply a journey or a journey created? At the very least it became a pilgrimage that confirmed many of his core beliefs and, in subtle ways, changed others.
MMarines and Navy Corpsmen tell their unique stories about experiences they had during their careers. Many of their careers were brought short by debilitating wounds received during battles or from land mines. Some have received Purple Hearts for injuries, and many had to return to battle after healing. The stories are about daily life in the Marines and Navy—the unique and little things that make life interesting to men who at any moment could be called to action to hot-zone somewhere in the world. Most of the stories in this book come from the web site The Halls of Montezuma, a site designed as a meeting place for Marines and Navy Corpsmen. The stories reflect their feelings about what they did and how it impacted their lives. The stories range from serious to humorous. All wrote from the heart.
The San Diego Poetry Annual is now part of the permanent collection of every college and university library in the San Diego region, as well as the San Diego County Library system, the San Diego City Library and the libraries of individual cities, including Carlsbad, Oceanside and Escondido. This 4th edition is the biggest and most diversified yet, featuring 146 poets and 222 of the best poems from every corner of San Diego. Copies of each edition of the San Diego Poetry Annual are donated in the name of contributing poets to public and college libraries in San Diego County and to select libraries nationally.
