*As an update to this this post, I have now included all of the pictures from that day, including shots that show identifiable faces of the Fallen’s family, as well views of the casket. I have never made such shots publicly viewable before, in consideration of the families’ privacy, but Brittney said that she thinks it’s important that these shots are seen.*
This is the first full Patriot Guard mission that I have posted on my site. As it turns out, I have been acquainted with Cpl. Kirton’s sister for several years, and was honored to be asked to photograph this sad day for her and her family.
I have actually photographed over 80 funerals and events for Fallen military service members, but those sets are all on my Flickr account. That means that some of you may not be familiar with my work with the Patriot Guard.
I am a member of the Patriot Guard Riders (www.coloradopgr.org and www.patriotguard.org), and have attended many, many, missions and events since 2006. Over the course of that time, I have focused on really capturing, to the best of my abilities, what I believe is the history I am witnessing. I was a cop for eleven years, and served my community that way, but it is too late for me to join the military, and I would not have the great kids I do today if I had. So I have joined this organization for a few reasons. I initially wanted to counter the hate that was being spewed against gays by the Kansas “church” idiots when they were showing up and desecrating soldiers’ funerals. Thankfully, they have not shown to too many services around here, so I can turn my attention to honoring the fallen soldiers and veterans, and welcome home the ones that make it back. The PGR motto sums it up- RIDING WITH RESPECT. But with my camera, I have taken on a new personal mission- that of documenting a rare group of individuals (over 100,000 strong) who put aside their political beliefs and give their time and energy and sweat and tears to honor the fallen.
Of course there have been groups in every conflict, including Vietnam, who were there to send care-packages and welcome home the troops, either living or dead. But I have met a few Vietnam vets in this group who never got a chocolate bar or a hand-shake, but were lucky enough to get spit on instead. This organization is historically unique in that its mission is to never let that happen again for the soldiers in today’s conflicts and the veterans passing on here at home. And trying to take the most beautiful, touching, historically representative photographs with my limited skills is the way I can contribute. I want my grandkids to be proud of what I did, proud of the people I associated with, and proud of the country I lived in.
If you are at all interested in joining, please take a look at the website patriotguard.org. The home page pretty much sums it up. Your politics are not important. I am proof of that. Whether you ever served or would never personally serve is not important. What you ride or drive or the pogo stick or electric wheelchair you use to get to missions is not important. Your willingness to show up, shut up, and hold a flag is what is important. There are members in every state and several foreign countries.
A special note about these Patriot Guard pictures- If you are a family or friend of the deceased, please note that I do have my own guidelines when I shoot at funerals:
In order to respect your privacy, I avoid taking identifiable pictures of the family and friends in attendance, and post those pictures only with the faces blurred. The few pictures I do take with the casket or urn visible are password protected, and viewable only by my family. THOSE PICTURES WILL NEVER BE MADE PUBLIC. This set for KIA Cpl. Brandon Kirton is the exception, with the express permission of his family.
If you are a family member of the deceased, and want an original copy of these pictures, full-size, without the copyright text, and including the private ones, I can be contacted through the PGR, via the State Captain who was originally in contact with your family when you invited the PGR to attend the service. That way, your identity can be verified and those pictures would never end up in the wrong hands.
