Sgt. Kyle Colnot

December 15, 1982 – April 22, 2006

Mission Ride on May 6, 2006

“It is important to remember that he gave his life, he did not lose it.”

  - Denise Colnot

I was a little concerned about the number of riders we would have at this mission due to the fact that Southern California had three missions today.  As we gathered at the staging area I realized I needn’t have been concerned.  I may have missed a few, but by my count we had 48 bikes, 2 cages, and 1 Jeep   We had a good mix of new members and old timers.  There were so many of us that we couldn’t park in the Church parking lot.  We had to park on the street outside the Church.

The hearse arrived about a half hour early so we weren’t able to line up to salute our brother as he was carried into the Church by the Honor Guard so we stood with flags on both sides of the street as the mourners arrived.

We waited outside the Church during the service.   Near the end of the service we were invited to come into the Church and join them in singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”.  We left the Church and formed up in a double line to salute the Hero and his family as he was carried to the hearse.

We lined up the bikes in single file in the left traffic lane so that the hearse and the family limos could pass down the line of the PGR escort.   We formed up in a side by side column after the limos passed and followed them to the cemetery.  The cemetery was about a 20 mile ride on the freeways.  We formed a really impressive escort for the Hero and his family.  I was at the end of the PGR escort so I could see exactly how impressive it was. 

When we arrived at the cemetery we were directed to the lower parking lot so that the flag draped coffin could be transferred to a horse drawn carriage.  The carriage then went slowly up the hill to his final resting place, followed on foot by the Army Honor Guard, the family in limos, and the PGR escort on bikes.

We formed semi-circle of flags on the hillside above the mourners during the graveside service, rifle salute, and Taps.

A special thank you to Jerry Zimmermann.  Jerry acted as my Assistant Ride Captain for this mission.  It would not have been as successful a mission without his help.

I would like to thank the Motorcycle Escort Officers that were providing the escort for the mission.  They did a terrific job.  They had to travel over 20 miles on the freeways with the PGR escort and over 50 cars filled with mourners.  I would also like to thank the riders that helped the Escort Officers by acting as road guards, and a general thanks to all the riders that came to pay their respects and honor an American Hero.