Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Jonathan Turner is a heroic man who spent seventeen years with the USMC
During that time, he went on seven tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turner retired in 2014 when he was 40. Tragically, he died just a year later from combat-related injuries in California, where he was living at the time.
Turner’s family was devastated by their loss. Turner’s family lives in Georgia, and unfortunately, they couldn’t afford to fly to California to pick up his cremated remains. They thought they had no choice but to have Turner’s remains shipped to them in a USPS box.
But then, the California Patriot Guard Riders heard about the family’s struggles. They quickly said they would transport Turner’s remains to Georgia themselves.
“Turner was a great leader who inspired his fellow Marines, both in the Corps and in daily life,” PGR said on their website. “You were his friend if you knew him for five minutes or five years. He would give you the shirt off his back.”
The Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) are an organization who attend funerals for military officers, firefighters, and police officers. They protect the people at the funerals from harassment by protesters, and they also fill out funerals for homeless and indigent veterans. In addition, many PGR members perform volunteer work for veterans’ organizations.
Many PGR members are motorcycle lovers and veterans, but neither is a requirement. To join PGR, members simply have to have a deep appreciation for the sacrifices military members and police officers make for their country.
The California chapter of the PGR quickly came up with a plan for how they would get Turner’s remains from California to Georgia.
“The California Patriot Guard Riders contacted all of the state captains from California to [Georgia] and explained the situation, that it wasn’t proper to ship this war hero home via FedEx,” Jeff Goodiel of the Georgia Patriot Guard Riders told Fox 5 News.
PGR set up a caravan, and they escorted Turner across the country.
Hundreds of volunteers from all across the country took part in the caravan, which spanned more than 2,000 miles. A PGR member from Oklahoma, Asha Lamy, explained why she took part in the caravan to News on 6:
“I got on the road at 6 o’clock [Friday] night out of Huntsville, Alabama and I rode over to Oklahoma,” Asha Lamy said. “I need the family to know that you’re not alone and we care.”
As each group of riders handed off Turner’s remains, they performed a small ceremony to pay their respects to him. The group filmed one of these ceremonies and posted the video on YouTube. The video quickly received over 400,000 views—everyone was moved by PGR’s dedication to helping Turner and his family.
Turner’s family was touched by the effort PGR put into getting Turner’s remains to them.
“It’s heartwarming, to see all these people here,” said Annie Glanton, Turner’s mother, “I know that he was loved by a lot of people.”
Sergeant Turner is a heroic man whose actions inspired many people. If you’d like to see PGR is action, check out the video below.
Source : shareably.net