God Bless the Patriot Riders!
Via http://rochesterdemocrat.ny.newsmemory.com/
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders of New York make their way past hundreds of veterans gravestones Friday as they transport the remains of unclaimed veterans to their final resting place at the Bath National Cemetery. SHAWN DOWD/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sean Dobbin
Staff writer
With 150 motorcycles leading the way — the guttural pop-pop of their engines announcing to those for miles around that a hero was coming home — Sgt. Devin Snyder’s funeral procession passed slowly by Mark Schuster’s home.
That was two years ago, and Schuster remembers the afternoon well, for it was the day before he called the Patriot Guard Riders and signed up. The Lima resident rode with them for 96 missions in 2012 alone.
On Friday, Schuster and the Patriot Guard Riders once again gassed up their bikes and trucks for a trip to Bath National Cemetery. But this time, their escort was of a slightly different sort. In their care were the remains of eight veterans which, for years, had gone unclaimed from a handful of area funeral homes.
Some likely died alone. Others may have been estranged from their families. Whatever the reason, the distinguished burial was something these men had earned long ago, but had never received until Friday.
“Nobody likes to see our brothers and sisters left behind,” said Schuster, 63, who served from 1971 to 1973 in the U.S. Army. “Even left behind at a funeral parlor or morgue or wherever.”
Three of the eight had served in the Army during World War II: Staff Sgt. Robert O. Willsey, Cpl. Irving R. Markowitz and Staff Sgt. Samuel R. Panato. A fourth, Robert A. Lehmer, also was a World War II veteran, having served as a Navy lieutenant.
The remains of two Vietnam veterans — Cpt. George L. Hirvonen, who served in the Army; and Airman 2nd Class David Zoeller, who served in the Air Force — were also brought to Bath. Private Oliver Weinsheimer, of the Air Force, served in the Korean War; and roundingout the eight was Pvt. Joseph Gunther, who served in the Army during World War I.
Marsha Hodges Thomas of Buffalo kisses the boxed urn holding the remains of her brother, veteran Clarence L. Hodges of Buffalo, after Friday’s ceremony in Bath. Hodges was a Navy veteran of Vietnam whose remains were discovered after a fire destroyed a funeral home in Buffalo. “It warms my heart. I’ll never forget this day,” Hodges Thomas said after the ceremony. “I thank everyone for my brother. He would be proud.” SHAWN DOWD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Retrieving the remains of the eight men was made possible thanks to a 2010 law change enacted by the New York state Legislature. Previously, the law restricted funeral directors from releasing the remains of deceased individuals to anyone other than family members, so unclaimed remains often were left stored in funeral homes for decades.
But due to the change in the law, the Patriot Guard Riders of New York over the past three years have participated in a handful of interments for these unclaimed veterans.
“We contact the area funeral homes, we ask if they have any unclaimed remains, we do the research and determine if they’re veterans, and then I go through the paperwork process to get them eligible for national cemetery burial,” said Barry Rickett, coordinator of the Patriot Guard Riders Veteran Recovery Program for this region. “Then I call to schedule that service, and we put on a mission like this.”
On Friday, the procession left Henrietta at 10 a.m. It stopped in Mount Morris to meet with another group of riders — who brought with them unclaimed remains from the Buffalo area — and then continued on to Bath, where a dignified burial was conducted.
Many of the riders are veterans themselves, but some are just supporters who wish to see servicemembers — both living and dead — treated the way they feel is right.
“Probably 75 percent of the veterans in this organization are Vietnam veterans, and when they did come home, they weren’t given the welcome that they deserved,” said Bob Yost, 52, of Palmyra. “So what we’re doing now is for both the deceased veterans, and for them.”
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Barry Rickett with the Patriot Guard Riders salutes as “Taps” is played during Friday’s ceremony at Bath National Cemetery. SHAWN DOWD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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