A small price to salute ‘ultimate sacrifice’

Being a member of the Patriot Guard is a priority for Greg Seymour, Ottawa.

Seymour travels with the group to funerals all across the state. He travels with fellow veterans and others to honor fallen soldiers and their families.  

“Those men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for my future,” he said. “We look after their families to show respect for the sacrifice they made.”

From visitations and funerals to burials, Seymour and other Patriot Guard members spend hours shielding soldiers’ families from those who might picket the memorials, those like members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka.

Led by founder Fred Phelps, the church is known for picketing gay pride events and funerals of soldiers killed in war.

“I just don’t understand it,” Seymour said of Phelps and his church’s picketing. “I don’t understand how he can call himself a minister and do what he does to families.”

During funerals and burials, guard members turn their backs to protestors, stand side-by-side with one another and clinch their American flags. They watch out for each other, making sure a guard member doesn’t respond to the picketers.

“We’re briefed before taking our posts and told to watch the person on our right to make sure they don’t lose control,” Seymour said.

Although it’s difficult, Seymour has found a way to ignore protestors.

“After 2 ½ years, I’ve learned to tune them out,” he said. “Luckily, I’ve only been to four, or five or six that Phelps has been at.”

Even though guard members don’t have to ride motorcycles to be a part of the organization, Seymour always has been interested in bikes.

“I got my first motorcycle in 1970 and didn’t have my first wreck until two weeks ago,” he said.

Now that he’s older with an established career and grown family, Seymour has more time to cruise on his motorcycle with the Patriot Guard to honor fallen soldiers and their families.

“It’s really become a priority,” he said.  

Herald staff writer Jenalea Myers can be e-mailed at jmyers@ottawaherald.com.