Our mission for Airman 1^st Class Arthur ‘Art’ Kee (Ret) was held this past Saturday, September 30, 2006 at the Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Rochester, MN. Let me preface the following by letting you know that the son of Art Kee, Scooter, is a good friend of mine. This past June, while camping on the river with “Scooter” and friends, I explained what the PGR was all about and what it meant to me, having just completed a mission in Welcome, MN with over 500 PGR Members. I had no idea that I would be leading a mission for one of us by summers end.

The morning started off with a very crisp pre-ride around the church and surrounding neighborhood before heading to the staging area.  When I arrived at our staging area, there were already 10+ bikes on hand. My first thought was “This is great, just what I had hoped for, 10 bikes”. You see, this mission had a quick turn-around with only two days notice. And with the active month that we’ve had in Minnesota, I wasn’t sure how many riders would be able to attend. So, when the family asked how many bikes to expect, I let them know I would hope to see between 10 and 20 bikes. Well, a few more bikes showed up, followed by a few more, including many, many familiar faces, along with many new PGR Members. By the time I started the pre-ride briefing, we had between 35 and 40 bikes and 4 or 5 cages. At the briefing, I noted that after our mission, we were invited back to a PGR Member’s house, thanks Randy, for a quick break and snack before another special mission that day.

With a Rochester Police Department escort, we headed up to the church to set-up before the family was to arrive for the visitation before the funeral services. We parked in the back of the church, set up our flags and headed to the entrance. We stood for about 20 minutes before friends and family started to arrive. The first family member to arrive, of course, was Scooter. After sitting in his car with his fiancé for a few minutes, he came over to say hello. All he could say was thank you and how amazing this was, his eyes already swelled with tears. He was so happy to see how many PGR members had come to show honor for his father. Scooter said his father would have loved all the bikes. I’m sure Art did.  As other family members and friends showed up, they came over to say their thank you’s to us, already red in the eyes. As Mrs. Kee arrived, the family surrounded her with love and compassion as they wheeled her into the church.  I quickly got the feeling that this is a very close family, who was very proud of their father. The Funeral Director came out and said the family requested that we sign the guest registry for them, so it was passed down the line. Once this was complete, he asked us to present it to the family, along with a Support the Troops Rally II DVD from another PGR member, Terry. There was no way I was going at this alone, so I grabbed George and Nate, the other R/C’s on hand, and headed into the church. As we walked in, the family was saying their final good-byes to Art before the funeral began. The family wheeled Mrs. Kee over to us for a quick presentation. I leaned over and thanked her on behalf of the PGR for allowing us to attend her husbands’ funeral and allow us to show honor and respect for him and his family. She held my hand and repeatedly thanked us for what we do and for being there for her that day. I removed a PGR Dog-Tag from my vest and as I was handing it to her, she asked me to pin it on her lapel. With a shaky hand, I did as requested, and kept the blood-loss to a minimum.  Before the services began, Scooter came out and graciously walked the entire line of PGR members thanking them for their presence that day.  After the funeral service began,  we quietly headed back to our bikes, packed up, and headed out. As we did not want to disrupt the service by our departure, we coasted our bikes down the driveway as far away from the church as possible, before we headed out. I found out later on that only Scooter’s fiancé’, Shelly, heard us leave, but she was listening for us. That, and she works at a Harley shop and listens for them everyday.

We headed back to Randy’s house before our ride up the Mississippi River to visit a Veterans Home in Hastings, MN. I know that I needed a bit more time to de-compress after this mission because on the way up the river, I began to recall the day and talking with Mrs. Kee. Not a good idea when you’re cruising the curvy bluffs of the Mighty Mississippi.

Monday morning, a small group of 4 bikes met at the funeral home to lead the 80-mile processional from Rochester to Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. It was a beautiful day for the ride up. Traffic was light so logistics were simple. We arrived at FSNC and were directed to the appropriate location by Cemetery Staff. After the 21-gun salute, flag presentation to Mrs. Kee and taps, the Color Guard was dismissed. The pastor gave a quick service, including the singing of Amazing Grace, and the ceremony was complete. This time, several family members and friends came over to offer their thanks and appreciation for our help that day. All I could say was “Thank You for Yours”.

I want to thank all the PGR members that could make it on Saturday, and also, Terry, Scott, & Gump who helped me out on Monday. I know that there were many more members that had us in their prayers. And to the Kee Family, thank you for the service of Arthur Kee and for allowing us to show the respect and honor that Art so rightfully earned.