A good friend from from Texas blogs at Ima Shalom under the name Maya. Her recent post, pre-Veterans Day, reminded me of great work that the Patriot Guard Riders are still doing.

Listen to this NPR story about what they are doing for families of the fallen and for sailors, soldies, and marines upon coming home:

A funny thing happened to Army Spc. Jeremiah Sullivan after his recent return from Iraq. As he and his fiancée were on their way home from Fort Bragg, N.C., they stopped at a gas station and were abruptly circled by a motorcycle brigade, gathered to welcome the soldier home.

The event was planned by the Patriot Guard Riders, a grassroots group that just keeps growing.

Over the past year . . . 61,000 strangers have come together to do works of good will: homecomings, visits to veterans hospitals, even house-painting. Sadly, though, their chief mission — done only with family approval — is to attend the funerals of military personnel.