YESTERDAY, TYLER ROADS CAME HOME

Yesterday would have done anyone proud. In a small town in the Cascades of northern California, everyone dropped what they were doing, grabbed their American Flags and headed on down to Main Street. Yesterday was the day that Lance Corporal Tyler Roads, USMC, came home to Burney for the last time.

Roads was the second United States Marine from Burney to die in the Afghanistan war. Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the local school district said it all: “He was fulfilling a dream to serve his country and follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.” He was a Marine, he was an American.

As the motorcade bringing the body of American Marine Tyler Roads from the airport in Redding to Burney started down Main Street, an ominous silence fell over town… a silence that was punctuated only by the siren of the Highway Patrol vehicle leading the procession. Literally everyone in Burney and nearby Johnson Park was there, lining Main Street on both sides all of the way through town to the mortuary. Almost everyone carried an American flag; until this day, I never knew or suspected that the town of Burney had that many American flags in it.

As the motorcade turned off of Main Street and into the mortuary, one of the motorcycle honor guards yelled to the throng of bystanders, “My God, thank you. Thank all of you.”

To which an observer replied, “No… thank YOU.”

We all watched in reverent silence as the United States Marines carried the casket in to the funeral home. Yes, we were all saddened by the cause of this event; but, we were all proud to be Americans. This young man gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of his country.

Those of us who have had the honor to serve our country know full well the sacrifice that this American hero made. We know the choices that he made in his life, particularly the one to serve. We know the commitment he made to his country and the risks that he agreed to assume.

As the doors to the funeral home closed behind the Marines who were carrying American Marine Tyler Roads home, I made a pledge to myself. I urge all of you to take a moment and to digest what I have said here. Again, this man was an American who willingly put himself in harm’s way in service of his country. I cannot think of a more patriotic gift that any man or woman can give.

I will be damned if I will allow anyone, including the President of the United States who has never served, to denigrate the history of this country and to trample upon all of the historic traditional values we stand for. I will not allow this President and his Czarist henchmen to besmirch the American way. I will not allow any Congressman or Senator to sell this country down the drain in order to gain personal favors or money. I will fight these things with every ounce of my breath and every moment of my life. I will overtly combat any activity by any one or any agency or organization that makes the life of Tyler Roads any less honorable. So help me God.

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.