<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns:p="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:powerpoint" xmlns:a="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:access" xmlns:dt="uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882" xmlns:s="uuid:BDC6E3F0-6DA3-11d1-A2A3-00AA00C14882" xmlns:rs="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:rowset" xmlns:z="#RowsetSchema" xmlns:b="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:publisher" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:c="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:component:spreadsheet" xmlns:odc="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:odc" xmlns:oa="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:activation" xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:q="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:rtc="http://microsoft.com/officenet/conferencing" xmlns:D="DAV:" xmlns:Repl="http://schemas.microsoft.com/repl/" xmlns:mt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/meetings/" xmlns:x2="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/excel/2003/xml" xmlns:ppda="http://www.passport.com/NameSpace.xsd" xmlns:ois="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/ois/" xmlns:dir="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/directory/" xmlns:ds="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#" xmlns:dsp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dsp" xmlns:udc="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:sub="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/2002/1/alerts/" xmlns:ec="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#" xmlns:sp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/" xmlns:sps="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:udcs="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/soap" xmlns:udcxf="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/xmlfile" xmlns:udcp2p="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/parttopart" xmlns:wf="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/workflow/" xmlns:dsss="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/digsig-setup" xmlns:dssi="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/digsig" xmlns:mdssi="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/digital-signature" xmlns:mver="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns:mrels="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/relationships" xmlns:spwp="http://microsoft.com/sharepoint/webpartpages" xmlns:ex12t="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types" xmlns:ex12m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/messages" xmlns:pptsl="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/SlideLibrary/" xmlns:spsl="http://microsoft.com/webservices/SharePointPortalServer/PublishedLinksService" xmlns:Z="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:" xmlns:st="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Ladies and Gentlemen,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>I know that many have been wondering about the progress with
Snowball Express and what’s going on that will involve the Patriot
Guard. In a word I can tell you this…PLENTY. This is going to
be by far the largest Patriot Guard event(s) that has hit the Dallas/Fort Worth
area EVER and all hands are going to be needed to make it a success.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>For those not familiar Snowball Express, it is a once a year
event sponsored primarily by American Airlines where children who have lost a
military parent since 9-11 are flown to a location in the U.S. and hosted to a
week of events and fun to show them how much they are loved and
respected. This year, about 1300 kids, ages 5-18 and about 700 adults
accompanying them will be descending on Dallas for this event December 8-13,
using 9 Dallas hotels, and the Patriot Guard has been asked to escort them
everywhere they go. For more information on the Snowball Express
organization please visit <a href="http://www.snowballexpress.org">www.snowballexpress.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>If you are interested in riding escorts, this is right up
your alley. There is going to be plenty of riding to do. There will
be a couple of flag lines in downtown Dallas at City Hall and between there and
the Convention Center. There will be literally something for EVERYONE to
be involved with and multiple opportunities on a daily basis. We will
also be invited to attend at least one of the events with the participants.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Let me give you a couple of examples of what we can expect:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>American Airlines is bringing in all of these folks on
charter flights. The domestic flights arrive on December 9 at DFW
airport. Starting at 10:00AM, a convoy of 3-4 busses will be leaving the
airport every hour, on the hour until the last one leaves at 6:00PM that
evening. We will need riders to accompany each and every convoy out of
the airport. Each convoy will be going to one of the hotels in
Dallas. We have been promised that Law Enforcement will be going with
each convoy as well. Once a group of riders gets to the hotel, we can
leave them to unload, etc., and get back to the airport to be ready for another
convoy. While you are riding and returning, one or two other convoys will
have already made their way out of the airport and be making a trip like the
one you just did. This will go on all day long!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Another example is the first of 3 escorts the next
day. We will stage at 9, that’s right NINE, different hotels
– all at the same time – and escort a total of about 43 busses to
Southfork Ranch. The busses are scheduled to depart their respective
hotels all at the same time, about 4 busses from each hotel, and go to
Southfork from downtown Dallas. Again, Law Enforcement has promised to be
with each group. Now this is just the FIRST escort of the day.
Later we take the whole thing to Mesquite where the Mesquite Rodeo is putting
on a supper and full blown rodeo for them. We all are invited to attend
the rodeo and enjoy the festivities. After that – we will be taking
them back to the 9 hotels.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>And that’s just the FIRST DAY!!!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>See – I told you this would be GREAT! Lots of
riding, showing lots of respect and honor for kids and family members who so
richly deserve it. The last 3 years this event has been held in
California and the Patriot Guard there has been a big part of the events there
and now it’s our turn and we can show them how we do it Texas style.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>We are putting together the nuts and bolts on how
we’re going to make this happen but you can be fairly certain that
it’s not going to be like a regular mission. With us having to be
so many places all at once, we are devising a method of signing up so that we
can be sure we have riders everywhere. It would be bad to have 15 riders
at one hotel and no riders at another. We need to know our distribution
is good and that everything is covered. We also need to have our flag
bikes spread out among the locations to make a great showing in that way.
Ride Captains – your expertise is going to be needed in many ways and you
will be called on a lot during these times. I know that the riders in
Texas and North Texas are the finest human beings on the planet but I will
please remind everyone – when you sign up to be somewhere, please BE
THERE. We are counting on you, and these kids are counting on you.
We will be spread very thin. Your smiling face WILL make a great
difference and it will be missed if it isn’t there. This is a happy
event and your being there makes everyone happy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>At the planning meeting I attended a video was shown of a
part of last year’s event. It was taken from the inside of one of
the busses. All of the kids had out their cameras and cell phones are
were taking pictures and shouting and waving out of the windows. I figured
they were at Disneyland or someplace like that. The video then panned to
outside of the bus window to what the kids were looking at. It was a
group of Patriot Guard Riders going by next to the bus honking their horns and
waving. They said that the kids LOVED the motorcycles and the
riders. The video then moved on to other events.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>We can, and do, make an impact. These are kids who
have lost a parent in the military since 9-11. Some may have lost a
parent very recently and are coming on their first Christmas without
them. You may be the one who puts a smile on that child’s face
because of seeing you riding along with his/her bus. Personally, I think
the chance that might happen is worth the effort.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>There will be lots more coming out about this very
soon. Please start gearing up for this and making plans. From the
time those planes start touching down until the time we get them back to the
airport at the end of their week there will be A LOT going on. We have
only touched the surface here. The safety and security of the kids is
PARAMOUNT. There are volunteer opportunities available if anybody wants
to participate and be near the children. Anyone who wants to do that MUST
have a background check conducted through Snowball Express. No exceptions.
More on that later as well. Mike and I have had discussions on the
regular ongoing missions, KIA missions that might come up, etc.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>This is going to be a great event and the PGR is going to
have a big role in it. Snowball Express reached out to invite us last
April and is very excited we are on board. We’ll need all hands and
we’re hoping for participants from E. TX and Central TX PGR – and
any other PGR folks who want to participate. Please join in, and
welcome!!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>More information out soon.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Steve Lucas<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Chief Ride Captain<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>North Texas PGR <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";
color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>