ON TUESDAY, 11-22-11, THE NORTH TEXAS PGR WAS ASKED BY FAMILY MEMBERS OF T/SGT CECIL KATZAMAN TO BE AT THE FUNERAL SERVICES OF T/SGT KATZAMAN, A VETERAN OF THE USAF. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN AND JOIN US AS WE HONOR THIS AMERICAN HERO, AND REMEMBER: IF YOU NEED TO SEE THE PICTURES BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE!
THIS IS HERITAGE ASSEMBLY OF GOD, HERE IN WICHITA FALLS TEXAS. THE FUNERAL SERVICES WERE HELD HERE.
THIS IS LARRY AND PAUL. LARRY RODE HIS BIKE FROM VERNON TEXAS (50 MILES WEST OF WICHITA FALLS) TO ATTEND THIS MISSION. PAUL IS A RETIRED SGT. MAJOR, (US ARMY) AND A MEMBER OF THE NORTH TEXAS PGR.
THAT IS JIMMY'S RED HARLEY ULTRA CLASSIC (WITH LARGE FLAGS) AND TED'S RED HARLEY ROAD KING (WITH SMALL POW & US FLAG). THEY ARE OUR LEADERS FOR TODAY
HERE ARE CRAZY MIKE AND TED. TED IS A ROAD CAPTAIN WITH THE NORTH TEXAS PGR. THE ROAD CAPTAINS ALL WEAR MAROON CAPS OR BANDANNA'S AND REGULAR MEMBERS OF THE PGR WEAR THE BLUE CAPS OR BANDANNA'S (LIKE CRAZY MIKES)
THESE TWO TRIKES BELONG TO BROTHERS, BILL & EDMOND. BOTH BIKES HAVE THE BIG FLAGS AND WILL ESCORT THE HEARSE FAMILY CARS TO THE CEMETERY WHEN THE FUNERAL SERVICES ARE OVER, ALONG WITH JIMMY, NUBBIN AND TIM.
THIS IS TED AND NIKI. NIKI IS WITH THE CMA (CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLIST ASSOCIATION) AND CO-FOUNDER ALONG WITH HER HUSBAND, FLIP, OF THE "FULL THROTTLE MINISTRIES" WITH SERVICES BEING HELD AT THE LEGACY CHURCH AT LOOP 11/MAURINE STREET, HERE IN WICHITA FALLS,ON FRIDAY NIGHTS AT 7 P.M. IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA, STOP IN AND SEE FLIP & NIKI AT THE SERVICES. THEY WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE AND MEET YOU.
THIS IS ME AND TATU. TATU IS A PGR MEMBER AND THE NATIONAL REP FOR THE GUARDIANS OF THE CHILDREN-RED RIVER CHAPTER. HE SPONSORED ME FOR MY ENTRY INTO THE GUARDIANS. TATU IS ALSO THE SHOP MANAGER AND ONE OF THE GREAT TATTOO ARTISTS AT DESIGN MASTERS TATTOO STUDIO HERE IN WICHITA FALLS TEXAS. HE DOES MY INK AND I AM VERY SATISFIED WITH THE JOB HE DOES.
PGR MEMBERS UNFURL FLAGS ON THEIR BIKES AND OTHERS TALK WITH EACH OTHER AS WE WAIT WORD TO STAND THE FLAG LINE.
THE BIKES WITH THE BIG FLAGS WILL ESCORT THE HEARSE AND FAMILY CARS TO THE CEMETERY FOLLOWING THE FUNERAL SERVICES. ALL OTHER BIKES WITHOUT FLAGS ARE PARKED A DISCREET DISTANCE AWAY BUT IN FULL VIEW OF THE PUBLIC AND PGR MEMBERS.
THE FLAG LINE ACROSS FROM MY POSITION IN THE LINE ARE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: RALPH (?), LARRY, NIKI & BOB.
CONTINUING DOWN THE LINE ARE: NIKI, BOB, MIKE (HIDDEN BY FLAG) AND LARRY C.
TO MY RIGHT DOWN OUR SIDE OF THE FLAG LINE ARE: TED, CRAZY MIKE AND PAUL.
THAT'S RALPH (?) IN THE FLAG LINE AND BILL & EDMOND ON THEIR TRIKES LINING UP. I HAVE THE (?) BY RALPH BECAUSE I DID NOT WRITE HIS NAME DOWN AND NOW, DUE TO A BRAIN FART, I AM NOT SURE OF HIS NAME. CAN ONE OF YA'LL THAT WERE THERE, GIVE ME HIS NAME AND I CAN MAKE THIS RIGHT. THANKS.
THAT IS JIMMY'S BIKE WITH THE FLAGS.
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THIS IS MIKE. HE IS ONE OF OUR NORTH TEXAS SENIOR RIDE CAPTAINS
LEFT TO RIGHT: EMILIE (TED W'S WIFE) RALPH, LARRY AND NIKI,
OUT FRONT ARE: TIM, ETHAN (NUBBIN'S GRANDSON) AND NUBBIN. NUBBIN AND ANGELA HIS WIFE, ARE A GOLD STAR FAMILY AS THEIR SON GARY, A SGT IN THE USMC WAS KILLED IN IRAQ IN 2007 IN COMBAT DURING A FIREFIGHT IN FALLUJAH..
EVERY KIND OF BIKE CAN BE FOUND IN THE PGR. HERE IS A HONDA SHADOW WITH A PAINT SCHEME I HADN'T SEEN BEFORE. GOOD LOOKING BIKE. THIS IS BOB'S BIKE, I BELIEVE.
THE SERVICES BEGIN AT THE CHURCH AND THOSE OF US NOT IN THE FUNERAL ESCORT, HEAD TO OUR BIKES TO GEAR UP AND HEAD TO THE CEMETERY TO GET THINGS IN ORDER THERE. NIKI, BEING FLEET OF FOOT, IS ALREADY GEARED UP, MOUNTED UP AND READY TO GO.
LARRY & BOB ARE IN AMONGST THE BIKES AND THAT IS SHIRLEY (EDMOND'S WIFE) AND MIKE J SITTING ON THE TAILGATE OF THE TRUCK TALKING TO EDMOND.
RALPH ARRIVES AT THE CEMETERY (CRESTVIEW MEMORIAL) LOCATED ON TX HWY 79/RATHGEBER RD.
MIKE AT THE SIDE OF HIS TRUCK AS WE WAIT ON WORD THAT THE PROCESSION HAD LEFT THE CHURCH AND WAS HEADING THIS WAY.
THE HONOR GUARD IS MADE UP OF MEN & WOMEN IN THE USAF STATIONED OUT AT SHEPPARD AFB. AS ALWAYS, THEY DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB TODAY.
PGR MEMBERS AND FOLKS FROM THE FUNERAL HOME TALK AS WE AWAIT THE FUNERAL PROCESSION TO ARRIVE AT THE CEMETERY
PAUL IS IN GOOD SPIRITS TODAY. THAT'S ALICE & LARRY AT THE OTHER END OF THE TRUCK.
TED AND PAUL (BACK TO CAMERA) TALK AS WE HEAD TO OUR FLAG LINE POSITION. WE HAD HEARD THAT THE PROCESSION HAD LEFT THE CHURCH AND WAS HEADING OUR WAY.
THE STATIC FLAG LINE AS SEEN FROM MY POSITION. WE DO NOT TAKE PICTURES OF THE FAMILY OR CASKET AT THE CEMETERY OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE FAMILY AND IT IS VITAL THAT WE OBEY THE WRITTEN DIRECTIONS BY THE PGR PERTAINING TO PICTURE TAKING AT PGR MISSIONS.
PICTURED ARE LARRY L, BOB (WHITE SHIRT), THE LADY FROM THE FUNERAL HOME. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HER IN THEIR FLAG LINE POSITIONS ARE NIKI AND CRAZY MIKE. I PERSONALLY CALL CRAZY MIKE, MIKE BUT HE GOES BY HIS ROAD NAME ON RUNS AND HE WANTS CRAZY MIKE USED.
THE HONOR GUARD IS IN POSITION AND WATCHING THE PROCESSION AS IT ENTERS THE CEMETERY BEHIND ME.
THE INTERNMENT SERVICE OVER, WE HEAD TO OUR BIKES TO LEAVE THE CEMETERY, RIDING IN FORMATION. THIS WAS A SPECIAL REQUEST FROM THE FAMILY.
WE LEFT THE CEMETERY AND THEN DROVE TO THE FUNERAL HOME ACROSS THE STREET AND WAITED. SOME OF THE MEMBERS WERE GOING TO RETURN TO THE CEMETERY AND GATHER UP FLAGS. I DIDN'T GO BACK TO HELP BECAUSE MY FOOT WAS BURNING AND I NEEDED TO GET HOME AND TAKE MY PAIN MEDS. I LEFT SHORTLY AFTER THE NEXT PICS WERE TAKEN. ABOVE ARE CRAZY MIKE, ALICE AND TED.
NIKI AND BOB (NEXT TO HER) GET READY TO HEAD OUT ALSO. THE OTHER FOLKS WERE FURLING THE BIG FLAGS AND PUTTING THEM INTO THEIR INDIVIDUAL SLEEVES (COVERS)
THE FINAL PICTURE OF TODAY IS OF BOB (BACK TO THE CAMERA) AND CRAZY MIKE LOOKING OVER AT US IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE FUNERAL HOME. THIS WILL CONCLUDE THIS POST.
IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE INVITED BY THE FAMILY TO BE AT THE FUNERAL OF T/SGT CECIL KATZAMAN AND BE ABLE TO HONOR THIS AMERICAN HERO. IT ALSO GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT IT WAS GREAT TO BE BACK WITH MY PGR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, A BETTER BUNCH OF FOLKS YOU'D BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND.
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE RUNS, RIDES AND EVENTS AND BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE "OLDER POSTS" LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH PAGE FOR MORE OF THE SAME.
UNTIL NEXT POST, YA'LL BE CAREFUL OUT THERE, KEEP THE RUBBER ON THE ROAD, KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL AND MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL...................RIDE SAFE & RIDE FREE ..........JOHN
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