Mike Burritt of the NE PA WWR was kind enough to post this essay from my last WWR Newsletter, The Ride. I am re-posting here for those who get my posts. Thank you, Mike. UNDER THE GRAND GAZEEBO WARRIORS WATCH WECOMES THE ONCOMING SPRING Well, they promised me global warming and it is finally here! 2 feet of snow, temps colder than at the south pole! Not exactly riding weather, but the WWR rides all year long, as you well know. But the Winter Solstice has passed, and the days are now growing longer, so look forward to a warm spring! WWR continues to grow, we continue to honor our troops and their families, who sacrifice much more than just a little snow. So THANK YOU for being WWRiders, it is appreciated by more people than you may realize. Ride on! With all my respect, Wayne Lutz, Founder Warriors Watch Riders THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE RIDE We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. - Shakespeare As bikers and veterans, which many (by no means all) of us are, we have become used to using the word brother in addressing each other, even when meeting new members, riders on the road, soldiers in the airport. (Editorial note: Throughout this essay and to avoid the cumbersome he/she type of PC language, I will use the word brother and brotherhood, and leave it understood that ALL fellow road warriors and veterans are included in that descriptive, male and female alike.) Ive had reason lately to think about the concept of brotherhood as we, the members of the Warriors Watch Riders, see it. The sense of brotherhood that we have for a fellow human being grows out of shared experiences. A brotherhood exists between bikers because being a biker is something quite different from being, say, a driver. A driver operates an automobile. A biker lives a lifestyle. A biker expresses an attitude and a way of looking at the world. But more than that, a biker lives a high-risk lifestyle. The bond of brotherhood grows stronger when shared experiences become shared risks. Riding a motorcycle every day and for long distances is inherently risky - much more risky than simply driving a car - and the willing acceptance of this high risk adds to the sense of brotherhood with fellow riders. Along with shared experiences, shared attitudes, shared risks, come shared values. Bikers share a value system that puts a higher importance on the ride than on the destination. In other words, it aint where youre going thats the thing, rather its how you get there and what you see, do, and experience along the way - another difference between a driver and a rider. The Ride to a particular destination is often the cause of some degree of hardship. The rider is exposed to extremes of weather. A 40 degree temperature is chilly. But at 55 miles per hour an uncomfortable chill turns into a dangerously cold 28 degree hazard. Some road conditions that wouldnt even be noticed by a driver - debris, sand, potholes, sharp curves, the oil slick at the toll booth - can be deadly to a rider, and encounters with these hazards add to the risks and hardships that come as a cost of a Ride and by extension build the bonds of biker brotherhood. When a fellow rider approaching in the other direction gives you the wave, he isnt just saying howdy. Hes acknowledging that in you he sees a fellow rider who shares all of these experiences. Hes saying to you, yes, I feel exhilaration, the freedom of the wind. I, like you, have endured the cold and the rain and the heat. I know the feeling of 800 pounds of Harley Davidson pinning down my leg. I, like you, have left skin, leather and denim behind on asphalt. I, like you, I know that the Ride is more than just getting to the destination. I, like you, know that the more hardship that is endured on a Ride, the more fun it is to tell the story of that Ride later. This is the unique biker brotherhood, a brotherhood of shared experience and shared risk, the brotherhood of the Ride. Now, take all of that, above, and add to it our love and devotion for our nations warriors, and ours becomes a true brotherhood of shared convictions. It is this devotion to our troops that brings us together to begin with - it is the primary bond that ties us together. For those of us who are also veterans, the bonds tighten even further. I remember once during a Welcome Home celebration for a young soldier who was particularly surprised and honored by the attention he was receiving. I pulled him aside at one point and said to him, You may not understand this now, but it is the truth: you have just earned hundreds of new brothers. If you ever want to test that, just call. If your bike breaks down on a Ride, we may not have the money to fix it for you, but we will never leave you behind. Never. Brotherhood comes of shared values, experiences, ideals, and is strengthened through shared suffering, hardship and blood. Most of you have experienced this: You meet some WWRiders from another state - either travelling, or you travelled to them. I remember Medsman from the St. Louis area, Matter and Denise from the Chicago area, Spike out on the Left Coast, and our brothers and sisters in New York, all saying virtually the same thing - that they had the same feeling that we had upon meeting them - that we knew them already, that we were immediately at ease with them, as if we had been riding together for years. This is the WWR brotherhood - a uniquely American brotherhood. I will leave this with a final thought: Brotherhood means being there when its uncomfortable. When you do your next welcome home, look closely at the Warrior guest of honor, and imagine yourself inside his head for a moment. When the joy of coming home is done, when the fun and excitement of his welcome home escort is past, when he is alone and beginning to settle into normal life in America, he may begin to feel differently. Be his brother - check on him. Give the family a call, say Im so and so and I was the such and such person on the motorcycle. I just wanted to let you know that were thinking about you, and remind you that we are still here to support you if we can, if you call for us. Too many soldiers, the best and brightest that our nation has to offer, are having readjustment problems, and often these are problems that we could help with through small and simple gestures of friendship - in other words, acts of brotherhood. WE WILL LEAVE NO BROTHER/SISTER BEHIND. When the parade is over and the flags and banners are taken down and the friends and family members go home, the Warriors Watch will still be there, in one way or another. Its what we do, its who we are, and God bless you for it. - Wayne Lutz This newsletter is named The Weekly Ride or The Ride, for short, in memory of and to honor Sgt. Jennifer Hartman, U.S. Army. Sgt. Hartman was killed in Iraq by Americas enemies. She died in defense of our freedom at the age of 20. This quote from Jennifer was read at her graveside: Its not about what happened in the past. Its not about what might happen in the future. Its about the ride, for Christs sake. Tribute to Sgt. Jennifer Hartman: The Ride Warriors’ Watch Riders: WE HAVE YOUR BACKS AT HOME! warriorswatch.org
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 22:52:05 +0000
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