January 2, 2008
On the 20th of December, 2007 my family and I were pleased and blessed to be able to welcome home our son, Captain Nicholas Auletta ( U.S. Army) from his second tour in Iraq. My brother, Rich, a Patriot Guard Rider, contacted a "few" of his fellow Riders to give my son a Patriot Guard welcome home. What happened after that is truly amazing and heart warming. Your leadership, specifically NJ Hawk (State Captain) and LTC Lee Anderson (Ride Captain NY) were able
to organize what turned out to be the most special day a returning soldier could ever hope for. We had a New York/New Jersey Port Authority Police escort to the JFK Air Terminal, we were escorted to the main gate to see him as he came off the plane, and we were then greeted by a group of thirty or more Patriot Guard Riders with their flags standing tall. My son was then asked to sign a Welcome Home Banner from your National Patriot Guard. He was certainly overwhelmed and thankful. Our whole family has been speaking of this night since it happened. Not only were we so happy to have our son home, but we were honored to be associated with your group. We could never thank you enough for such an experience that will stay with our family for a lifetime. God Bless America Go Army
Regards,
Bob
