Spending at least 12 hours on his motorcycle in one day will feel a bit brutal, but for Patriot Guard Rider Lynn Vaughn, it will also be a great honor.
This month, Vaughn, 62, and other motorcycle riders will bring more than 30 unclaimed remains of veterans from funeral homes around the state to the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake for burials with full military honors.
The exact date hasn’t yet been set, but for Vaughn, who lives in Vancouver and served in the Marines and Army Reserve for 30 years, the long ride is the least he can do to show his respect for fellow veterans, he said.
“I’m very honored to be able to do it,” Vaughn said. “Every veteran counts, whether it was one day or 30 years of service.”
Vaughn is the group’s district captain for Southwest Washington. The Patriot Guard Riders, formed in 2005, is a national group that travels to funerals of soldiers, firefighters and police when families request it. The group also helps to shield families against protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church, which has said that troop deaths are divine retribution for American tolerance of homosexuality.
In the massive July ride, members of the group will travel to at least two funeral homes in different parts of the state to claim the cremains. Vaughn’s group will go to Long Beach to the Chapel By The Sea Funeral Home to collect 14 veterans’ remains. Another group will head to Bellingham to collect 17 other remains.
“We may add more to that by the time the ride starts,” Vaughn added.
If remains of veterans aren’t claimed, they often stay in the care of the funeral home. The Patriot Guard Riders worked with the Veterans Administration, which paid for the cremations, to organize release of the remains for transportation, Vaughn said.
“Our requirement is we have to pick them up and deliver them the same day,” Vaughn said. “That’s a 550-mile ride (for the group).”
Vaughn will ride at least 280 miles to relay the remains to other riders, who will continue to the cemetery, although he may decide to go the whole way. Either way, he’ll likely be on his bike for 12 hours that day.
Still, the pain in his back at the end of the run will be worth it, he said.
“These are members of all different branches of the service, who served at different times,” Vaughn said. “We want to make sure they get the respect they deserve.”
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