FAQ

We come to show our respect and gratitude to fallen heroes of our armed forces, first responders, and to show our support to the family, friends and community who mourn their loss.

The Patriot Guard holds absolute respect for the wishes of the family. We attend only as invited guests, and will not attend if the family expresses their wishes for privacy.

We consider ourselves an outer circle of support. Normally, our members stand outside the services, holding flags to show honor and respect to the fallen hero and his or her family, friends and fellow service members. We often ride at the lead of the funeral procession with large 3’x5′ motorcycle mounted flags, and assemble outside the cemetery with flags held in honor.

If the family prefers a completely private burial, we do not attend the graveside service. We are sometimes asked to escort the fallen to his or her hometown from the airport prior to the funeral, although this is not always advisable at larger metropolitan airports due to security, safety and traffic concerns. If the family has any special requests of the Patriot Guard, we do our utmost to carry them out.

If there are protestors present, we do our best to visually shield the family from any disruption they may cause. We do not antagonize them or show any aggression; that would only serve as a distraction. We do not engage them at all. Our actions in providing a shield are strictly legal and non-violent. We are not a counter-protest group, and the protestors are not our main focus. Our focus is respect and honor for those who serve.

We come from all walks of life. Members include individuals, veterans and current military personnel, members of many motorcycle-related organizations and clubs, and many non-riders who attend in vehicles. No matter what other affiliations our members have, as Patriot Guard Riders we are a diverse group of people who come together as one to show respect to our fallen heroes.

We work directly with law enforcement to plan for this ahead of time – we do not want to be in the way of mourners attending the funeral. We meet elsewhere prior to services, arrive before services begin, and coordinate with law enforcement for parking, procession and departure so we do not cause traffic problems for the community.

Some bikes are loud, but no bikes are running during the services. Our members stand in quiet respect during services, and we discourage revving of engines during processions.

This is very difficult to predict, as we are an all volunteer organization; our members all make their best effort to come when requested.

For those Killed In Action our State Leadership and our national website monitors the Department of Defense news releases; each state has representatives of the Patriot Guard who make contact with a family representative, to ask if our presence is desired at the services. Normally we work with the Casualty Assistance Officer for all family communications and requests, as we do not wish to intrude directly upon a grieving family.

Membership is very easy. Simply go to the Patriot Guard Riders National website and complete the short registration process. Once you have done that, simply send an email to our State Captain and Vice Captain to give us your city of residence and will send you our welcome letter via return mail.

No. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is. The only prerequisite is Respect.

You can get Patches,, Clothing, Decals, Flags, Pins and other WVPG branded items from our online store.

Go to our Contact Us Page and send us your question.