Founded in 2005 to shield families of fallen heroes from those who would disrupt services of their loved ones, the Patriot Guard Riders has grown to all 50 states.
Nearly 10 years ago, Richard McIntire, a retired U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, with family roots in northeast Texas, decided he would honor the Corps and its members, past, present and future, with a commemorative run on the road outside his home southeast of Paris. On May 22, flag firmly in hand, he made his 500th run.
âIt started out as a Veteransâ Day thing in 2011,â said McIntire, 55, who works at Campbell Soup Co. âI did it for a month, then I just kept doing it, three and half miles, once a week, from my house and back, carrying an American flag mounted on a pole that was presented to me as a memento by the troops when I left a posting in Okinawa.â
To the editor: Coral Ridge Funeral Home & Cemetery, a Dignity Memorial provider in Cape Coral, will host our 40th Annual Memorial Day service at 10 a.m.,