The 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines were escorted from Midway Airport to the All State Arena in DesPlaines, IL by hundreds of motorcycle bikers of the Patriot Guard Riders from all over Chicago Land. The bus bearing Fox Company with Morgan Park/Beverly ( St. Barnabas Parish) native Ryan Nolan broke down on 294 four miles south of the River Road exit. Patriot Guard Riders assisted Illinois State Police Troopers in maintaining the steady flow of traffic to O’Hare.

The Bikers were not necessarily family, but most shared the experiences of the young people aboard the buses – the Bikers were guys in their late fifties and Sixties and almost all sported Vietnam and Gulf Storm insignia as well as patches identifying them as sailors, soldiers, airmen and many, many Marines.

Patriot Guard Riders helped families keep idiots away from funerals of fallen Iraq War Heroes – Westboro Baptist Cult led by a misanthropic homophobe –who shall remain nameless and ignored. Patriot Guard Riders are some fine Americans and they were not alone –Moose, Elks, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus as well as Veterans Groups joined the welcome home.

They gave up their day to help welcome these warriors home – no one did that for them. That is what I love about Americans. You can not kick the kindness out them, nor their willingness to do something for someone else. I intended to write exclusively about the six young Marines from my neighborhood. I can not. This day and this homecoming belongs to them and their families alone. The neighborhood is waiting for you all!

This short piece is dedicated to the Windy City Veterans. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Montford Point Marines, The Burbank Marine Corps League, the Knights of Columbus, The Illinois Veterans Forum, The American Legion, The Lions, Elks and Moose lodges of Greater Chicago and the Hundreds and hundreds of Bikers from Indiana and Illinois of the Patriot Riders. These wonderful and generous people welcomed the young men and women who returned from Iraq today. ABC Channel 7 and CBS Channel 2 covered the return of these kids and that was damn nice.

Thousands of people welcomed home Chicago’s Own. I had the honor to witness the heartbreakingly joyous first hugs of the Porter Family. ‘Daddy!!!!!!!’ I missed you so much and now you are really here!!!!’ My thirteen year old daughter Clare sobbed along with the ecstatically happy Porter Family as Lt. Col. Donald Porter, commander of H/S Company squeezed his son and daughter and kissed his tearful wife. The Porters come from Roscoe, Illinois.

Sixty Plus and older -Men in Biker Vests with Unit Patches from Vietnam welcomed home ‘Squared Away’ kids in their twenties and razor sharp creased Desert Camos – ‘Well done, Lance Corporal!’ and ‘Welcome Home Gunny!’

Ryan Nolan’s bus was merely delayed – Fox Company returned to a thunderous Welcome Home, because Americans – Esparza, Redmond, Charlonis, Gregoire, Lee, O’Brien, McDonald, Hughes, Wrdolski, Petkus, Feingold, Kim, Montclair, Porter, Tariq, Cophaagen, Turner, and Park ( a few of the names I jotted down from the Camo Blouses ( The Marines call them that) – are the kindest people on earth. To all of the Service men and women, the sailors and Marines of 2–24, the many Police, Fire, Veterans and Service Organizations and all of you folks who help some one else, thank you! The devil is in the details and that does not seem to matter to very kind people. God Bless America!

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