Lebanon — Several of the Patriot Guard Riders who lined the entrance to Western Boone Jr-Sr. High School during the recent funeral of SPC. Joseph Strong, Boone County’s first casualty of the Iraq War, endured wind chills of below zero for what they considered an honor.

They were the three dozen or so members of the PGR who rode motorcycles to the school, and to Maple Lawn Cemetery in Thorntown, as part of the funeral procession.

Before and after the funeral they stood at parade rest, in the cold wind, each holding an American flag, as mourners entered the school. Two PGR members held the doors open for arriving mourners.

The PGR had members at Stout Field to greet the 2nd Battalion, 150th Field Artillery when it returned from Iraq just before Christmas. That unit included 41 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion’s Charlie Battery, the National Guard unit based in Lebanon. The PGR also attended the funeral for Staff Sgt. Paul Pabla, who was the only soldier of the 2/150 to be killed in action in Iraq.

John Flora of Thorntown joined the Patriot Group Riders last year.

Flora, who retired from The Indianapolis News shortly before the newspaper stopped publication, spends his days freelancing for the Crawfordsville Journal-Review — his wife, Maria Flora, is the editor — as well as teaching motorcycle riding classes and participating in PGR events.

He was covering the Lafayette funeral of a 101st Airborne Division soldier for the Journal-Review. The funeral was at the Christian Reformed Church, where about 60 Patriot Guard Riders stood in dignified recognition of the soldier’s sacrifice — and as a shield against protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan.

Led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, church members have stood at soldiers’ funerals with signs proclaiming, “God Hates America,” “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “Thank God for (improvised explosive devices).” Phelps and his followers believe God is punishing tolerance of homosexuality by killing U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The WBC, which began picketing soldier funerals in 2005, is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Flora was so impressed by the dignified and restrained behavior of PGR members at the Lafayette funeral he joined the organization.

“You don’t have to have a motorcycle,” Flora said. There are basically two rules to join the PGR: “Show up ... and be respectful,” Flora said.

For PGR members who ride motorcycles, “It requires a certain amount of dedication to show up for winter events,” Flora said. “I’ve seen them turn out in fog so thick you wouldn’t want to drive your car. Rain, bad, weather, they don’t care.”

The Patriot Guard Riders grew from an August 2005 appearance by a Kansas American Legion motorcyclists group. Riders from other groups, including the Combat Veteran Motorcycle Association, Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club and other veterans organizations joined. The PGR was established on Oct. 18, 2005, according to the group’s Web site. In the first two weeks the site was up, it received 556,000 hits. Membership has grown to more than 25,000, including at least 2,400 in Indiana.

The PGR is not a protest group, said state chapter captain Richard Wilbur. Rather, its purpose is “standing for those who stood for us.” Wilbur was the 300th national member of the PGR, and fourth person to join the Indiana unit.

“We feel that these soldiers are dying for these people’s rights to protest; that’s the irony,” Wilbur said.

“In Indiana, we have rendered the protesters, let’s just say, irrelevant, because we’ve been effective.” Wilbur said. It’s not only the PGR that has blocked mourning families from the Westboro Baptist Church’s taunts, he said. Entire communities have helped. “We only exist because the community allows us,” he said. Law enforcement organizations have been extremely helpful in coordinating the PGR’s participation at funerals, Wilbur said.

At the Strong funeral, the U.S. Army casualty affairs officer asked police to have Ron Coleman, the PGR ride captain, verify the identity of some participants. Wilbur said the PGR welcomes the scrutiny, because it helps their mission.

“Never do we attend without the invitation of the family,” he said. “That is a a rule, nation-wide, for PGR members that will not be violated. If we are not invited, we will not attend.”

That rule can make for some frantic plans, when a request comes in late. But the PGR will get an escort on short notice, Wilbur said.

“One of the nice things is that there are so many members in Indiana that you don’t feel like you have to drive to Rising Sun or Fort Wayne,” Flora said, “Because there are plenty of people in the organization.”

Rep. Steve Buyer, of Indiana’s Fourth District, learned of the WBC’s actions after the death of a Kokomo soldier, according to Laura Zuckerman, Buyer’s communications director. Church members telephoned the soldier’s family, saying, “Thank God for dead soldiers” and hanging up.

Hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders attended the soldier’s funeral.

The outraged Buyer sponsored a federal law that bans any demonstration during a funeral or memorial service at a national cemetery. Demonstrators must be at least 500 feet away. The Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes bill was signed into law on Memorial Day. Members of the PGR attended the bill signing in the Oval Office, at Buyer’s request.

Indiana law bans protesters from being closer than 500 feet to the site of a funeral.

WHAT THEY DO

Every PGR mission has two objectives:

* Showing sincere respect for fallen heroes, their families and their communities;

* Shielding the mourning family and friends from interruptions by protesters.