Many of you have stood flag lines in honor of our heroes since the inception of the Patriot Guard, and surrounded their families and friends in an unbreakable circle of love and respect. Tomorrow is a special day, and a very special mission - because those same families would like to see you again.
The letter below speaks for itself. We sent it out in a statewide email but just in case anyone did not receive it, I am re-posting it here. The weather does not look friendly...but we've seen much, much worse. Be safe in your travels to St. Cloud, and I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. More information on tomorrow's special mission can be found here:
http://www.mnpatriotguard.org/missions/events.asp?date=5/3/2008
With respect and appreciation for all you do,
Monica Mead
MN State Captain
Dear Minnesota Patriot Guard members,
My name is Jim Beardsley, and along with my wife Dianna and our family we would like to invite you to be a part of an upcoming event to honor our loved ones and their families.
Our son, SSG William 'BJ' Beardsley was killed in action on February 26th, 2007 in Iraq. He leaves behind a wife, Stacy, two children, Chance and Alexis, a sister and brother-in-law, Jamie and Cassie, his parents, grandparents, and many friends and family.
Upon hearing of our son's death the Minnesota Patriot Guard contacted us to see if they could come along side of our family and support us. We accepted and forever gained an extended family that we are SO grateful for.
On Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 the Minnesota Patriot Guard is sponsoring an event appropriately titled ' Heroes United' that we will be hosting in St Cloud, MN. This is an event to bring together Minnesota Gold Star families that have lost a loved one in the war. We are honored to be able to host an event that will allow our families to remember our loved ones and to be there for each other.
We would be honored by your presence, when my family reflects on our sons memorial service, much of it is a blur, but the one thing we do remember is the flag line, how honored and not alone we felt, knowing that people would take the time to just come and stand in silence to honor our son and our family, we cannot put into words what that moment was like. The support we received was unbelievable, we felt as if we could stand taller that day knowing that we were not alone. It is our hopes that the Minnesota Patriot Guard would once again come together to not only honor our family, but the many families that will be attending this event.
Thank You and God Bless,
Jim Beardsley and Family
