WarChild Riding Group

Sandy's Toddle Inn - Chaffee MO
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Finding Cures – Saving Children

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Free Spirit

Patriot Guard

 Patriot Guard Riders Mission Statement

Notice - The PGR store is open since the first of the new year. 

Thank you for your patience.

 The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

   We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is.  You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

   Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.

2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

   We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.

Folks, this is not just important…

It’s what we do!

Join Us!

RD - SE Missouri Ride Captain

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Stars & Stripes Museum

 
babystar.gif (941 bytes)This Day
      in History

The stars and stripes logo
Museum / Library Association, Inc.®
 


To those in military service and to our veterans, The Stars and Stripes represents much more than our American flag.  They recognize it as the newspaper that serves as a medium between soldiers and their families, as well as a reporter of news. 

Over the last 139 years, millions of copies of The Stars and Stripes have been distributed throughout the world.  And, it all began during the Civil War in the town of Bloomfield, located in southeast Missouri.

It was here on November 9, 1861 that ten Illinois Union soldiers, using the vacated press of The Bloomfield Herald, published the first "Stars and Stripes" which they named after the American flag.  One of the original copies of that 1861 paper is now owned by the Stoddard County Historical Society and to be put on loan with the museum.

The Stars and Stripes flourished during each of the five major wars this country has fought.

General John J. Pershing

General John J. Pershing, a fellow Missourian, recognized the value of The Stars and Stripes during World War I, as a great morale builder.

During World War II, General George C. Marshall referred to The Stars and Stripes "as a symbol of the things we are fighting to preserve...free thought and free expression of a free people".

Many famous people have been connected with The Stars and Stripes:  Cartoonist Bill Mauldin; Andy Rooney and Steve Kroft of "Sixty Minutes" were former Striper's as was Harold K. Ross, founder of the New Yorker magazine.  Grantland Rice, Ernie Pyle and other war correspondents have also contributed to the newspaper.

Several former S & S staff members and various war veterans have donated personal letters, unpublished behind-the-scenes reports, back issues of The Stars and Stripes and other interesting war-related items to be displayed or filed as reference material.

All this history will be preserved.   A Stars and Stripes Museum/Library with climate-controlled storage, handicapped accessibility, display and meeting rooms will be invaluable for research.  The facility serves historians, students and writers, as well as the general public.

Motorcycle Safety


  • Get trained and licensed. Research has shown that more than 90 percent of all riders involved in crashes were either self-taught or taught by friends.
  • Ride sober. Alcohol is a factor in almost half of all single-vehicle motorcycle crashes. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs can diminish visual capabilities and affect judgement.
  • Ride responsibly: Wear protective gear, including a helmet, eye protection, jacket, full-fingered gloves, long pants and over-the-ankle boots. Keep the bike well maintained. Maintain proper lane positioning to further increase visibility to motorists, keep a "space cushion" between the bike and other traffic and obey speed limits.
    Source: Motorcycle Safety Foundation
    Motorist safety
  • Be aware of the blind spot. Motorcycles can often fit completely in the driver's "blind spot," the area of vision behind the rear pillar of most cars. Signal before changing lanes and check again before making the maneuver.
  • Wet roads and adverse weather have a greater affect on motorcyclists. Always keep plenty of distance (at least four seconds at higher speeds) if following a motorcycle, more in bad weather.
  • When approaching a motorcycle from the rear or passing another vehicle with a biker in the oncoming lane, it can be difficult to gauge the speed of motorcycles because they take up less of a vision field, which makes depth perception more challenging.
  • Look for road hazards. A significant portion of motorcycle accidents involve swerving suddenly to avoid hazards. If there is a large pothole, a rough train-track crossing or an area with water puddles, anticipate that the rider might take evasive action.
  • Give motorcyclists a full lane for travel and don't pass bikers with a minimal amount of space because the force of the buffeted wind could cause a rider to lose control. Motorcyclists also might choose to ride near one side of a lane to maximize the view of the lane ahead.

    Source:     www.TheCarConnection.com

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    Jesse James Loves Hanging With the Kids

    « H E A Good Life :: -RD- :: email
    posted Saturday, 20 January 2007
    'Monster Garage' may be gone,
     but Jesse James is still building bikes

    By Christopher Rocchio
    Reality TV World

    Five seasons and 80 episodes of Discovery Channel's Monster Garage and a new marriage to Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock might have made West Coast Choppers CEO Jesse James a celebrity, but he insists some things still haven't changed.

    "I'm still the weirdo on the corner who builds bikes," James told Stuff magazine in its February 2007 issue.  "What does it mean to be a celebrity, anyway?  It's just math.  The number of people that know me is greater than the number of people I know.  It doesn't mean I'm better or anything.  It's just the power of television."

    Monster Garage had its series finale last June, so while James may be out of the television spotlight, he's still well-known to bikers across the country.  From wanting to exceed Kid Rock's design expectations to customizing a ride for himself that fits him perfectly, James is still a busy man these days, claiming, "Every bike I build is my new favorite."  One of his recent favorites is a bike he did for Keanu Reeves, who starred in Speed with Bullock, James' wife     since July 2005.

    "I was like, 'Man, I wish I had a bike like this," James told Stuff about his concoction for Keanu.  "It's chromed out with black paint.  There's nothing gaudy about it; it's just supersanitary and bitchin'."

    James' great-great-grandfather was a cousin of legendary American outlaw Jesse James, so the custom motorcycle builder does have a wild side.  Throughout high school he did security at Ascot racetrack in California and also worked security for local bands, which eventually landed him a gig as a bodyguard on tour.

    "Slayer was definitely the wildest [band I toured with] as far as fans getting kicked in the teeth and doing damage to arenas -- all these angry kids trying to take it out on their seats," James told Stuff.

    After breaking his arm "really bad" at Harpos in Detroit, James said he realized his job wasn't fun anymore.  So he created West Coast Choppers in the mid 1990s and located it in an 18,000 square-foot shop, which has since grown into a 250,000-square-foot series of art deco warehouses in Long Beach, CA, restored and modified to house the operations for the company best known for selling chopper-style motorcycles.

    "When I started West Coast Choppers, I still worked at night as a bouncer in Anaheim and built bikes during the day.  I guess things took-off pretty fast, but it seemed like it took forever," James told Stuff. 

    Currently, James said he likes to spend time with his three children -- Chandler, Jesse Jr. and Sunny -- who are from his previous two marriages before he met Bullock.  In April 2006, James opened Cisco Burger just down the street from West Coast Choppers. The '50s-style burger stand is named after his beloved pit bull and features Kobe beef burgers, low-fat burritos, organic veggies, and biodegradable wrappings. 

    "I still live where I grew-up, so I know everybody, and the way people treat me doesn't change," James told Stuff.  "What could I do now that would outdo what I already did?  Now I dig hanging with my kids."

    Say what?