Our Military Community

00:00:39:34 - 00:01:04:43
Unknown
Good morning, everyone. Once again, it's time for another edition of our military community. I'm Jerry Tabart. And we've got a lot of things to talk about today. But what we're going to talk about today is something that you may have heard about, but you don't really know a lot about it. And that's our Warrior Watch riders. These are the gentlemen and ladies that you see doing all kinds of escorts and things like that around the community with their flags proudly displayed.

00:01:04:43 - 00:01:27:08
Unknown
But they're they're geared up for veterans, their selves. And there's so many different aspects of this. And I'm so excited today to have two people that are with the Warrior Watch Riders. First of all, to my immediate left is Charlie Peace and Jim Moore. First of all, thanks for coming in today. I appreciate that. And you know, Charlie, you and I have been friends for many, many years.

00:01:27:08 - 00:01:49:04
Unknown
So I got to know a lot about the Warrior Watch riders. First of all, tell me a little bit about yourself. Well, I am actually not a veteran. I do what I do because of the veterans. And that's what the main big part of it is. We're here to to do military honors, funerals for military first responders alike.

00:01:49:04 - 00:02:23:51
Unknown
And and I was just here to make sure our veterans are honored and know that we care for them. And it's so appreciated. Jim, what about you? I'm also not a military veteran. I did 20, 25 years with state law enforcement in Bay County area. I was raised military, navy and our I came out of high school just as we were leaving Vietnam, being pulled out of Vietnam.

00:02:23:55 - 00:02:55:19
Unknown
And I didn't have to go because the guys that went before me that were ahead of me, they completed the job. I didn't have to go. I'm here to honor them for what they've done. And you guys do such a great job. Let's get into it. First of all, Charlie, what is Warrior Watch Riders? It's a military and first responders group that we 90% of ride motorcycles is not required.

00:02:55:24 - 00:03:18:52
Unknown
There's no age requirements. There's no requirement to be in a veteran or not. Doesn't matter whether you got a car or a motorcycle or whatever. We want you to come hold the flag for a veteran. That's what we're all about. We're nationwide organization. We've actually got a membership and I don't know, probably a good, good portion in the United States.

00:03:18:52 - 00:03:41:36
Unknown
They could tell you more about that. But I'm the coordinator for the panhandle here. I'm state coordinator for the always Walks right here in Panama City Beach. Jim is a regional coordinator, correct? I've been bumped up and speaking to that, Jim and Charlie alluded to that. What what about the rest of the country? I know our ones here in the panhandle are very, very active.

00:03:41:36 - 00:04:17:13
Unknown
But what about the rest of the country? the east Coast is extremely active. We have a of some chapters in Missouri that they're doing three or four missions, sometimes two a day, but three or four a week out there of they do a lot of mugging hugs, they call it the mug hug is basically a they get together and there's one World War two veteran.

00:04:17:13 - 00:04:44:25
Unknown
He's turning 99 years old or 100 years old today. And the family has said we're throwing him a birthday party. And they are they'll just come riding up out of out of nowhere and just park the bikes and and go up there and be part of the party. And that's that's the thing right there. You guys are not doing it to have your pictures taken and say, here's Charlie and here's Jim.

00:04:44:40 - 00:05:08:14
Unknown
Look at how graveyard you're doing it, because you love these veterans and their families, their first responders. That's what you are doing it for. Let's let's get into a little bit about that. Charlie, when you're, say, leading a funeral procession or something like that, what are your feelings? I can just plain by one word saying I'm at all.

00:05:08:19 - 00:05:32:11
Unknown
I feel honored to be able to be leading opposition for a veteran that has passed or lost his life. It's just to me, it's just an awesome feeling knowing that I'm doing that for the community. I get tears in my eyes just knowing that what I'm doing when I'm riding the ponies and my wife and ranch over my shoulders is what tears I don't need because I can't see.

00:05:32:15 - 00:05:55:35
Unknown
But it's just an awesome feeling to know that you're humbling feeling to know that what you're doing is helping a family who's lost a loved one. And I, like I say, I've known you for many years, and a lot of the riders, it it's all the same. You guys, a lot of people don't realize you're human beings, too.

00:05:55:40 - 00:06:35:07
Unknown
They think that you're out there. You're, you know, being all formal, everything. But you've got feelings deep inside. Do Jim working, like Charlie said, leading this parade or something out of respect or headed to a cemetery or something like that, You guys also have the opportunity to interact with the families. How do you interact with them and still try to keep yourself in a professional type of state with the key word of honor?

00:06:35:12 - 00:07:20:55
Unknown
We're there to honor these people for their sacrifice, for what they've done for our nation. And with every person like that, he he can't do it without a support group of his own, his family. When a person is in the military and they I know for a fact, I mean, I've I've been all around the place from Brunswick, Maine, to Alaska and because that's where my dad got stationed, we with with the U.S. Navy, our it takes the family family unit.

00:07:21:00 - 00:07:45:16
Unknown
Right. And the family after the person passes away, the family unit is still in what's left there. And we're there to honor them. We want them to know we're honoring their their loved one. And that's what's so important to the family realizes, too, that they have that support there. They have that love there where they can always turn to you.

00:07:45:21 - 00:08:22:12
Unknown
I want to talk a little bit about what you guys do locally. I mean, it's a lot you do locally, but you also do a lot nationally. And I know, Charlie, you've actually gone other places. You've gone out to Bay County to do honor to someone else. What some of the different retreats or the honor funeral processions that you've been to more of our other members and I and our wife we we rode up to go from think is in Virginia to a badly wounded vet who had a house built for him.

00:08:22:17 - 00:08:57:19
Unknown
That would be Anthony and Shawna. We rode up there when when they were having their house presented to them and they didn't know we were coming. We rode up there, had no idea they had another group. We coordinated with another group of motorcycle to escort them to their home. But when they got there and they saw us and Sean got out of a car and came directly to us by my past family and everybody came by us because they were so surprised that we drove from Panama City to Northern Virginia for that for them.

00:08:57:19 - 00:09:21:21
Unknown
So we we do that every time we can. We've done a few here in town. We've gone to national Cemetery in Tallahassee numerous times. And it's just it's such a good feeling to be able to know you're you making somebody happy. Right. And the thing about it is and by the way, I know Anthony and Sean on Sean also, they're great people, but you don't get paid to do this.

00:09:21:21 - 00:09:40:55
Unknown
You have to actually put the money up yourself to go to these areas would pay all our gas for our vehicles or motorcycle. There's no fee for anybody. All the funeral home or the family's got to do is contact us. Right, and say, You want us there and that's all you got to do. Jim, I know you've been around the country, too.

00:09:40:57 - 00:10:08:08
Unknown
What are some of the more notable ones that you've been to? Well, there were a few of us. We went a young man was killed in action over there towards. Well, his funeral was being held around Ocala. We went down and did that that funeral. We had a young man. He was like, ah, who is with Warriors Watch Up.

00:10:08:08 - 00:10:38:57
Unknown
And one of the northern states, I believe Illinois and his dad had passed away. The Dan Law was a Holocaust survivor and he was being buried down at the National Cemetery in Tampa. And he wanted Warriors watch Riders to be to be there and help out. A few of us. So rode down and did that did that funeral down to Tampa.

00:10:39:02 - 00:11:09:42
Unknown
one of us had a flat tire on the way back on his motorcycle. And I mean, and so we've we've gone around we don't we normally just cover, say, a 75 mile radius around Bay County. But I wanted people to know that you indeed do go to other people. So if another chapter across the country say, if one from North Dakota called you and ask you, would you honoris you would probably accept that, wouldn't you?

00:11:09:47 - 00:11:41:54
Unknown
Well, we would if it you know, we can't drive to North Dakota, but it's fact, man. We got organizations and chapters that are closer to their right now. We have that. We have that nationwide contact to get somebody who's there who can do it. Now, locally here, I've seen the response that you get. But again, say if you like, when you went to Virginia, what was the response there from the community that you get here?

00:11:41:54 - 00:12:01:34
Unknown
You're you're loved and honored here. What about in these other places that you go? Are the warriors treat the warrior watch riders treat in the same all over the country? Most of the time they are very few occasions that we we we get a thumbs down. I haven't I even with the Warrior Rocks Riders, I've never been somewhere where they didn't want us.

00:12:01:48 - 00:12:21:54
Unknown
And we want to appreciate, you know, with another organization that we were with before. I've been there where people would stand out and protest. And when we know about it, we just we gave back the motorcycles up there right where they were. And then we wrap them up and let them let them breathe a little bit, exult for a long time.

00:12:21:59 - 00:12:51:14
Unknown
Then they showed up and left. We we have we have had some people that were not real happy with us being that way. First of all, I'd like to explain that we are not a motorcycle club right? We are a group of people. We exchanged email addresses. When something's happening, we send out emails, we're going to have this event mission, whatever you want to call it, at a certain time and place.

00:12:51:19 - 00:13:24:09
Unknown
Here's where we're going to meet. That's it. We don't have DOS, We don't have meetings. We are. But you have you're pretty much dominant motorcycle clubs in certain areas. That's right. Our Warriors Watch has really received a lot of not acceptance down in southern Florida from some of the Hispanic 1% motorcycle clubs. We tried to explain to them we are not a club right now.

00:13:24:13 - 00:14:02:10
Unknown
Everything we do is volunteer, right? It's out of our own pocket. Our services are free of all. Somebody has to We have to be invited to an event we will not attend our on our own as a as a group. If somebody needs a veteran honored, invite us. That way. We're not an uninvited guest attendee. And that was one of the things Charlie I want to ask you about is and you kind of touched on it, Jim, what what is the acceptance from these established motorcycle clubs in these areas?

00:14:02:10 - 00:14:27:55
Unknown
I mean, like, say, for example, go back to Virginia, do they? Well, they understand what you're all about and why you're there. And do they accept you? yes, most of time they do. Yeah. Well, I've never had a negative response to any motor cycle club that we're doing something for or with. They're all invited. Yeah. You don't have to be a member of us.

00:14:27:55 - 00:14:48:03
Unknown
You got an American League, Your Honor, or the ambassador. You have a rider if they want to participate in what we do. Combat vets do a lot of riding with us and doing things that then we do and they're welcome. And they know that they're welcome. And it's not like we're not in competition with anybody. We just want to honor a veteran.

00:14:48:03 - 00:15:30:15
Unknown
That's all there is to it. Jim, question for you. Let's say, for example, you know, you talked a lot, both of you, about veterans that pass on. You do the honors for them. If a veteran's spouse passes on and that veteran calls you, would you honor that spouse at the funeral, too? actually, we cannot. Why not? It's as bad as it sounds as much as I would like to, because without that spouse supporting that veteran, that veteran probably would not have been successful in whatever he's done.

00:15:30:20 - 00:16:10:02
Unknown
It's very much so. Basically, just the honorary the person that the mission is about have a degree to 14. Right. That and when someone goes to the funeral home and you know funerals is is not our big forte. We don't we don't like doing the funerals. We will we're honored to do them. What we want to do is troop deployment, returning troops.

00:16:10:06 - 00:16:35:51
Unknown
We want we want them to know America's here for you. We're there to say, see you in a few months. We'll be here when you come home. Come home to us. That that's what we want to see on our our patches on the back of our shirts and jackets and all. We've got to pack in and it says, we have your back here at home.

00:16:35:51 - 00:16:59:01
Unknown
We understand that when a veteran goes to go to war, a family does well and basically right, whether it be the male or the female spouse at home or alone with their loved one, go away and we're here to help them mentally, physically, for anything we can do to help them out. Well, just to be there, just to pull up and say, hey, how you doing that?

00:16:59:01 - 00:17:24:09
Unknown
What's going on? That's that's something that means a lot to them to know somebody care. Let's get into the local side of it a little bit. How would someone get a hold of you and ask you to honor them at their their military man? Is it a retirement funeral? Whatever, you know, How would someone get a hold of you for that?

00:17:24:13 - 00:17:50:53
Unknown
For retirement? They would just call me directly or send an email to our email here. And I can give you that whenever you want it. But it's the funeral home generally will call us during a funeral. We have to be contacted at least by the funeral home or the family. And and the funeral home does that for us because they have to have the DV 14 for the flag.

00:17:50:57 - 00:18:32:24
Unknown
They keep flags there for the veteran and for the planning for the spouse and the family, but they don't get that flag reimbursed unless there's a DV 14. So that's how they get their flag replaced and they can do it and at no charge. And but with the family back in phone call would, would would do it for any one email and by the way a d d form 214 for those of you that may not be familiar with that any time you depart the military, be it retired, be it your active duty, you decide it's time for you to leave or death or something like that that is issued by the United States government

00:18:32:24 - 00:18:56:01
Unknown
and that signifies this is the military service that you have. So that's D d form 214 Jim, once Charlie talked about the request is made, what do you do? How do you plan something like this? Is there a lot of planning that goes in or what? Because I know you can't just call up your buddy to say, Hey, meet me at, you know, such a such place.

00:18:56:01 - 00:19:25:31
Unknown
9:00 tomorrow morning, we're going to do an escort. It doesn't work that way. There is somewhat planning how? Like Charlie said, we have to be requested by the family or a spokesperson for the family. And normally I tried. I feel like that the family has enough to deal with right now. I will get once we get requested. They want us there.

00:19:25:36 - 00:19:59:14
Unknown
I make Rachel was the funeral home and I say, what do you want us to do? What do we need to do? First Baptist Church of Lynn Haven has donated their old bill for our use and we've told the bill before we've had to use. We have a little camera like they have it, schooners, camera, canon. And we've we've actually done the three round volley.

00:19:59:19 - 00:20:28:28
Unknown
Okay. A lot of people call a 21 gun salute, but it's not, is it a three round volley? we've we've done things. What what do you request of us. We want we want to augment the funeral. We're not going to take it over. We're not going to lead it. We're there to augment the funeral, to show our respects and honor to this person.

00:20:28:32 - 00:21:03:47
Unknown
And I normally get with the funeral director to find out what they're requesting, what what they would like for us to do. And then we we set that up in an email. We send it all out and we'll let them know basically, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to give four instances. But all right, Charlie, what are some of the I mean, a lot of people in our area, a lot of people that will be viewing is see the warrior watch riders out.

00:21:03:47 - 00:21:29:56
Unknown
And like you said, most motorcycle riders, you're very proud to display the American flags with you carry on your bikes and things of that nature. Yeah. So what what are some of the local events that you do? Well, we do the Warriors Major Tree. We honor those veterans that are coming in, wounded Warriors. They're coming in on their flights or however they may be at the airport.

00:21:30:00 - 00:21:56:33
Unknown
We have a red carpet that we put up in front of the when they get out of the terminal, come into the baggage section, we have a red carpet and we line that with our guys with the flags and let them walk through that. And we just shake everybody's hands around there to let them know, you know, it's it's it's a it's an awesome thing for them because somebody sometimes they'll say, I've never nobody's ever told me welcome.

00:21:56:34 - 00:22:20:23
Unknown
All right. And that's a bad thing to do to you see a veteran and you tell them welcome home. And they say, well, nobody's ever welcomed me home. And a lot of them, they don't feel like they're worthy of that. But they are. But they are. And the other thing is, is and you may be able to touch on this, Jim, the feelings.

00:22:20:23 - 00:22:41:49
Unknown
You have to take it something like this and say Memorial Day services and things like that. You have to take the feelings of the individuals that are being honored and their family members into consideration. Right. For how how do you deal with that? Because to me, I would probably be so emotional things like this that would be very difficult.

00:22:41:49 - 00:23:19:51
Unknown
But how do you how do you control the emotions and yet present the honor that these young men and women deserve? Sometimes it's tough, especially whenever family members are all and or the honorees on Welcome Home, stuff like that. When they get teary eyed, it's usually contagious. It is. And that's why we wear sunglasses to say that's why we we have our sunglasses handy usually to cover that up.

00:23:19:56 - 00:24:11:32
Unknown
I don't know. Just to see families reunited, children, wives, husbands hugging their military member when they come home. I go sometimes on rainy days when I don't have a lot to do because I'm retired now. I watch the videos of all returning troops being reunited. soldiers that sneaking in and while the child's in school. Yeah, moms are at work when their sister or their daughters and their husbands, their sons return from military and mom looks up from her desk and there they are.

00:24:11:36 - 00:24:43:57
Unknown
Yeah. It just makes your heart sweat. It does work out exactly Like I say, I know you quite well, Charlie, and I've seen how emotional you get. And it just a lot of the community doesn't understand that. Maybe some of you or maybe quite a few of you with the wider with the warrior Lodge writers actually have personal experiences with family members and things like that that you were not telling everybody about, but you keep inside, don't you?

00:24:44:02 - 00:25:09:04
Unknown
Yeah. Yeah. It can be a heart jerking moment. It can be. I remember one time that we were doing a the beach retreat parade across the bridge and we came across the bridge going into town and there's a dad with his daughter standing there. She must have been six, seven years old, a little blond girl. That's exactly what it was.

00:25:09:09 - 00:25:25:33
Unknown
When I come across that bridge she was doing and she held her own flag and she doing everything to keep a salute up there. When I saw that, I lost it, my wife on the back of my bike said, You got to straighten up now. You got to ride this. Much like I said, it just broke my heart.

00:25:25:38 - 00:25:42:25
Unknown
That's the thing. And you guys are, you know, I can't commend you enough for what you do. I've never ridden a motorcycle in my life. I mean, I rode on the back of one when I was over in Japan with the Air Force. But, you know, that's a different story. But before we run out of time here, I'm going to give each of you the opportunity.

00:25:42:25 - 00:26:20:04
Unknown
Jim, what is one thing that you would like to accomplish with the Warrior Riders? What is one thing you really have on your bucket list? I want to see the community bounce back from Michael and COVID. We've got to lay back whatever the reason is. the need. We have troops deployed right now, and I don't see anything getting any better any time soon.

00:26:20:09 - 00:26:46:01
Unknown
These people need us. We can't stick our heads in the sand and like an ostrich and hope things get better. Let these troops know that we're there for them. we thank them for what they do. And people we need we need to get out there and support these troops. Will said, Charlie, what's on your bucket list? What would you.

00:26:46:01 - 00:27:04:25
Unknown
The main thing we have this participation. We need to get a younger crowd. A lot of us are older now, getting around our motorcycles anymore is not physically right for us to do. I go on my truck. It doesn't matter to me. I all you know, I'm not going to do that. I don't have a motorcycle. It's not required.

00:27:04:30 - 00:27:29:05
Unknown
All this required is be a patriotic American willing to stand the flag for a veteran that's already it. And and don't care how you get there. Look at what your age is. You know, a lower limit or a higher limit. Yushchenko, anytime you want. But we need we need a younger group of people now that were that are willing to ride motorcycles and do what we do with us.

00:27:29:10 - 00:27:50:37
Unknown
I take care of all the paperwork. There are a lot of my guys don't have anything to do with the paperwork. I have them do the paperwork for putting together an email, telling them where to be, what we're going to do and all this stuff. And the global economy, if I can tell them right, we've got less than 3 minutes to go.

00:27:50:40 - 00:28:24:34
Unknown
I want to give each of you the opportunity a minute for you to jam your final thoughts. That's kind of hard for me to do at my age. I have final thought. Now I would just like to see better participation and not necessarily with just Warriors Watch, but with other things. We are. I'm often involved with another organization in the in our area.

00:28:24:39 - 00:28:57:30
Unknown
It's the Veterans Task Force of Northwest Florida, which was about to fall because of lack of participation. I'm driving, my wife and I are driving from Marianna. We've now moved to Marianna. we're driving down of for a meeting to Panama City. And because we can't getting people here locally to to take the gantlet and run with it all.

00:28:57:35 - 00:29:24:24
Unknown
So I would like, I would like to see our community I know good Well the wants there we just got to get up and go do it. Okay Charlie, quickly. There's participation. It's a good thing this is needed. And once you do it, you, you know and understand what it feels like. What's the address? Your web address? This NWA.

00:29:24:24 - 00:29:46:33
Unknown
If w w r s c a gmail.com. Okay. All right, both of you, thank you so much for coming in today. I appreciate it. A lot of different things and keep up the good work. You guys are doing a tremendous job in this community all across the area and keep up the good work and when you're out and about, let people come up and talk to you.

00:29:46:33 - 00:30:08:25
Unknown
All right. All right. That's we're out of time here. But I'd just like to say again, Warrior Watch riders. If you see them out and about, you'll know who they are. Don't be afraid to go up and talk to them. They'll talk to you anytime, anywhere, any place. And if you need help, like Charlie said, go to that website or just look up Warrior, watch riders and you'll see the local chapter on there.

00:30:08:29 - 00:30:30:33
Unknown
Support them with what they're doing to honor our first responders, our military veterans. They're doing a great service and they're doing it because they love this community. It's not because they have to. It's because they want to. And they understand how important it is. That family feeling is unfortunately, we're out of time. That'll do it for this edition of our military community.

00:30:30:38 - 00:30:37:56
Unknown
Have a great day, everyone, on jury to have it. We'll see you again next time for another edition of our military community.