A NOTE FROM NATIONAL CONCERNING SILLY SEASON

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• A NOTE FROM NATIONAL CONCERNING SILLY SEASON

We find ourselves in political season.  The run for President of the United States is now a campaign that lasts for several years it seems.

As candidates travel the country they are constantly seeking out something or someone who can give them a boost, an advantage, over their opponents.  One of the things that candidates will wish to use to their benefit is any organization that is perceived as honorable and is known to be patriotic.  Guess what?  That describes the Patriot Guard Riders.

The PGR is and must remain a strictly non-political organization.  We cannot endorse candidates.  We can do nothing that could make a member of the public believe that we are endorsing a candidate.  Should we allow that perception to grow we would not only jeopardize our 501c3 status with the IRS, we would also change who we are.

Patriot Guard Riders and the families we serve come from all walks of life and with all manner of political persuasion.  While it is perfectly acceptable for leaders in the PGR to engage in political activities as citizens, we should not identify ourselves as a Patriot Guard Rider by what we say, what we do or what we wear.  As a leader in the PGR it is even more crucial that we not be seen as leading the PGR in a particular political direction.

If you are asked to participate in a political rally, provide an escort for a visiting candidate or serve as a backdrop during a speech, the answer should always be no.

But the speech he’s going to give is about veteran’s issues……………still no.

But they’re going to donate to a veterans cause…………………….………no

But this candidate is the only one who will help the military……………..no

Politics is not our mission.  We make sure Honor is bestowed.  We find ways to serve the Veteran Community.  We assist in caring for the families our Heroes leave behind.  Those are noble, important missions and they are OUR missions.

 There are other organizations that dedicate themselves to the political arena.  That is not our mission.  If you feel so inspired, join with them and assist but do not blur the lines for the PGR.  This organization does not become involved in politics.