Patriotrism is defined as the quality of being patriotic; vigorous support for one’s country.

 

I recently lost my father-in-law, Weston Nehring. Wes was a wonderful man and an inspiration in many ways. Wes was always thinking of others. He served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954. Upon his return from the war, Wes began serving with the American Legion of Paynesville, of which he was an active member until shortly before his death. 

 

Wes was a past commander of the Paynesville American Legion and a member of the honor and color guard and carried the flag at Memorial Day services and veteran’s funeral services. 

 

As a small child, Wes decorated graves with the Legion. He continued to decorate graves every Memorial Day. It was important to him to honor veterans. He continued this tradition for almost 80 years.

 

Wes had a servants’ heart. He and Lois (my mother-in-law)  invited me to put flags out at the Paynesville Cemetery shortly after I met them. Mike and I often joined Wes and Lois at Legion fundraisers and breakfasts in support of local organizations. 

 

My family recently found out first-hand what a blessing local Legion clubs are, as several local Legion clubs reached out to my brother and my son with monetary donations after a devastating fire at the family farm north of Becker earlier this spring. 

 

Wes’ memorial service included full military graveside honors. It was a bittersweet service, as many of the Legion members Wes had served alongside said a tearful goodbye to a stellar fellow comrade and lifelong friend. 

 

I consider myself a very patriotic person. My family coordinates an annual one-room school experience at Kragero one-room school north of Becker every summer. We teach the children about patriotism. They recite the flag pledge and sing patriotic songs. 

 

Many of my relatives were in the service. My  grandfather, Thoulow Gilyard, served (WW I), as did several of my Gilyard great uncles (WW II) - Wendell, Chester and Roman Gilyard. My uncle Ruthvin Gilyard was drafted into World War II when he was in his forties, most likely because he had no wife or children!

 

Great uncles Ernest, Herman and Ted Hohlen also served. Ted served in the last troop of the Calvary in Rapid City, SD. He guarded Roosevelt during the construction of the monument that was put up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He also served in the U.S. Navy. 

 

I am grateful and humbled by people who have served in the past and currently serve in the military, fire, police, and first responders. I was encouraged a couple weeks ago when I visited a new flag store in Sauk Rapids. I realized as I visited with the owner of the store how important patriotism is to her. The owner is a local gal named Rose Clement, who lives northwest of Clear Lake.

 

Rose shared about her service with the Patriot Guard. I asked how she got involved and what the group entailed. She explained that about nine years ago she saw a member of the Patriot Guard at an event in St. Cloud. Rose wasn’t aware they had a presence in the Sherburne County area until that time. 

 

Rose looked up the Patriot Guard and decided to attend a ‘meet and greet’ event in Monticello with her husband. Rose shared: “I had already made up my mind that I wanted to be a part of this group. My husband and I met many wonderful people - many military (active, inactive and retired). We signed up to be members as soon as we returned home.”

 

I asked Rose a bit about the Patriot Guard, as it interests me.” Rose’s husband, John, is the RC (Ride Captain) for the St. Cloud chapter of the Patriot Guard. 

Rose explained many of the Patriot Guard members ride motorcycles, although it is not a requirement to be a member of the group. 

 

Around that same time, Rose’s son, Jason, had enlisted in the Marine Corp and would be leaving for Basic Training shortly after that time. After a delay due to injuries, Jason made it through all of his training and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Interestingly, Rose’s dad also served in Okinawa, Japan. 

 

After returning home, Jason borrowed his mom (Rose’s) motorcycle. Jason had an accident, but was ok. The bike needed to be repaired, so Rose and her husband decided to go with a custom paint job and they proceeded with “The Flag Bike” with work being done by Finishline Design, Inc. of Corcoran, MN. 

 

Sadly, Rose’s son Jason was involved in another motorcycle accident less than a year after returning home from the service and wasn’t able to recover from his injuries. He passed away in July of 2014.

 

For a short time, Rose stepped away from the Patriot Guard, as it was a very difficult time. “I am back to riding and still love to ride, even when it hurts. I was blessed to be able to share this joy with my son, even if only for a short time”, Rose said. 

 

Rose wants to show support for her son, as well as all service members (past, present and future). 

 

Rose and her husband have done many events and rides with ‘The Flag Bike”, including rides for the VFW, Benton County Fair, St. Cloud V.A., Minnesota State Fair with Wreaths for the Fallen and other Patriot Guard events. 

 

“My patriotism grew with each mission I did with the Patriot Guard and with the pride I had for my son serving,” Rose explained. 

 

100 years after the end of Word War I, Rose was excited to open The Flag Store. Rose says: "I feel there is a need for more access to these patriotic items locally. I offer custom flags and flag repair, as well."

 

The Flag Store offers wonderful patriotic and military items for sale, including flags, poles, memorial and patriotic items. All veterans receive discounts on all of her products when they present their ID. 

 

The store also features a wall honoring local veterans. People are encouraged to bring a photo of their special veteran and display it. 

 

The Patriot Guard is a volunteer, non-profit organization founded in August of 2005. They attend funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family and provide honor, dignity and respect to fallen military heroes, honorably discharged veterans and line of duty police, firefighters and first responders.  

 

The Patriot Guard blesses people by surrounding people’s loved ones in the midst of their grief. In a society where it has become more common for people to think more about themselves, it makes my heart happy to see organizations such as the Patriot Guard in place.

 

The Flag Store is located at 113 Division St., Saul Rapids. 320-251-3524.

 

For more information about the American Legion, visit: https://www.legion.org. If you would like to get involved in serving with the Patriot Guard, or for more information, visit their website:  www.mnpatriotguard.org.