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On a clear warm afternoon 8 Members from St Cloud met at the Clear Water Travel Plaza at 3 pm and after a short briefing we headed for the Metro to Fire Station # 1 to stage for the escort of LCPC Beise. We made good time and the ride allowed us to get comfortable riding as a group in preparation for the ride to Princeton MN. Upon arriving at the Fire Station about 4:30 pm the Metro team had already staged and were proceeding to take their places for the flag line. Rick Johnson and I met with the Funeral Director and made our plans for the escort to Princeton and then held a short briefing with our escort riders so we all were clear on what we would do. Around 6 pm the plane arrived and the family moved from the fire station to the landing area. The metro PGR moved the flag line to directly in front of the Guard gate on both sides of the road and the more than 40 members made a scene for all to be proud of. As the family left we moved into position to pick up the vehicles as they approached the Gate Guard. We were escorted from the area by the airport police so we had a clear path from the fire station to HWY 494. We hit the freeway with 6 Bikes leading 8 vehicles following and 2 bikes in the rear. We were not sure how it would turn out with such a large convoy but I guess people just know when they seen a bunch of bikes and a Hurst to get out of the way because it went as smooth as clock work.
We moved through the freeway system with ease and arrived in the Rogers area in what seemed like minutes. From Rogers we picked up Hwy 169 which seemed like St Cloud as every light we hit turned Red. After multiple stops for red lights we cleared the traffic lights and in no time arrived in Princeton MN. Waiting in Princeton at the funeral home was 6 Marines standing at the curb at attention and 9 PGR members with Flags waving in the breeze that you could see from 2 blocks away. We pulled in front of the Funeral home allowing enough room for the Hurst to be right in front of the Marines and parked our bikes. All the escort riders then walked to the Hurst and lined up on the street side to surround the area. As LCPL Beise was removed we saluted until he was inside the building.
LCPL Beise would of been so proud of the treatment he received this day and his family was overwhelmed at our support. Because of the MN Patriot Guard we helped a family through one of the hardest days of their lives, the return of LCPL Beise. A special Thank you to the escort riders: Rick Johnson, Jim McMahon, Todd Vogel, Dale Klein, John Clement, Steve Anderson, and Ron Daniels I could not have done this alone and they could have said no they could not go. Thank you to all the PGR members in the Metro (awesome display) and those that made the trip to Princeton (great job). Because of all of you we did make a difference in many lives today. THANK YOU!!
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Rick Rakow
