Organizational Change

 I wanted to make you all aware an organizational change for PGR of CT

ASC Jeff Hartke has decided to resign from his role as Assistant State Captain due to work demands and also being in a work location where it makes it difficult to be accessible. I’d like to take this time to thank “Stick” for his leadership and his information technology expertise as we transitioned to a new email server. We all look forward to seeing you on the Flag Line. Ride Captain Dan Regan has stepped up to take on Jeff’s responsibilitiesand this includes the sending of missions and maintenance of the email/text membership list. I appreciate Dan taking this critical role on in addition to his RC role.

I am very excited to announce that Sr. Ride Captain Jack Casey has accepted the role of Assistant State Captain. A relentless advocate for our Veterans, a Sr RCIC on so many of our missions and all around terrific guy, Jack will continue to lead missions but will also be focused on:

• ·Creating new relationships with funeral homes that we have not missions with so that we are sure families, Veterans and 1^st Responders are aware of our services,
  

• ·Be the leader to introduce new members to PGR. This will include a phone call to all new members ensuring they feel welcomed, have a positive new member experience and have any questions they may have answered,
  

• ·Add to PGR of CT services the opportunity to have their loved one placed on the national registry of the branch of service they served in and delivered/presented to the family,
  

Work closely with ASC McArthur with other service organizations we work with such as VFW, American Legion, and other Veteran organizations to increase awareness of our services

 Gregg “Flag 7” Barratt

Patriot Guard Riders

ConnecticutState Captain

www.ctpatriotguard.org

greggbarratt@gmail.com

203-921-8255

Patriot Guard and Associates:

 

As we move into the final swing of the holidays and 2012, I would like to thank each and every one of you for what you do for our Veterans, 1^st Responders and their families.

 

This was a busy year for PGR of CT and we had some great accomplishments:

• Well over 100 missions this year,
• Development and implementation of our website,
• Creation of new role of Flag Captain and new configuration for our flags,
• Very successful Chili cook-off that benefited PGR,
• An increase in our membership,
• Renewed process for delivery and presentation of PGR plaques to the family at Honor Missions,
• But most importantly, the difference you make for others with your service, honor and professionalism. It is the look on the faces of those we serve at every mission that is truly rewarding and humbling.

The Patriot Guard of CT is an organization that really should not work…we have no meetings, no dues, no uniform, no building, no salaried members, stand for hours at a time in all kinds of weather, travel all across the state and we normally get very short notice on missions. For most organizations, this would be crippling. Yet for the Patriot Guard Riders of CT, we not only do all of this but we do it extremely well, with honor and a passion for Standing for Those Who Stood for us.

I thank you all and wish you and yours the very best during this holiday season.

Gregg “Flag 7” Barratt

Patriot Guard Riders

ConnecticutState Captain

www.ctpatriotguard.org

greggbarratt@gmail.com

203-921-8255

Patriot Guard and Associates:

I hope this note finds you all doing well, riding safely and enjoying the warm weather.

We have certainly been extremely busy the past few months and I would once again like to take the time to thank each and every one of you that have been out at Honor missions, Special Missions and events like the Chili cook off where over $9,000 was raised for PGR of CT to help us support and give back to our Veterans/1^st Responders. Whether you make one mission a year or 20, I certainly appreciate all that you do.

• · A Reminder to use the calendar feature on the PGR website for all our Missions, events and information. https://www.ctpatriotguard.org/calendar/

With so many missions happening each week, I wanted to take a moment to re-emphasize how we go about calling a mission and how I prioritize our attendance.

There are several categories of activities we participate in: Honor Missions, Special Missions and attend on your own events. To help prioritize our attendance and role, I use the below criteria to help guide me. While not all requests are clear cut, I will use my discretion and I am certainly open to your feedback.

1. Honor Missions are our priority. For those who may be new, any matters that pertain to Veterans/1st Responders funerals or any KIA (Killed In Action), take precedence over all that we do. Should we have two at the same time, we will call missions on both and ask members to attend the one that works best for them. Of note, when I speak with event organizers of Special Missions, I always inform them that should an Honor Mission come in, that will be our priority and we will stand down on Special Missions should one of these arise at the same time.

1.  Special Missions: Special missions where Veterans and or 1st Responders are present. These are events that we label HOTH or Help On The Home front and they can range from Welcome home, Troop send off’s to escorts to Veteran/1^st Responder celebrations. We do our best to attend as many as we can, but as you can imagine, we cannot possibly attend the great many requests that we get each and every week.

1. Attend on your own: These may be Veteran or 1^st Responder related events that could be fundraisers or for a specific cause to benefit others. In these cases, we do not call a “mission” but may help to publicize it and ask members to attend on their own if they so choose.

Again, thank you for all that you do and be sure to send your friends , family and potential members to our website for information about PGR of CT.

With thanks,

Gregg “Flag 7” Barratt

Patriot Guard Riders

Connecticut State Captain

www.ctpatriotguard.org

greggbarratt@gmail.com

203-921-8255

Patriot Guard members and associates:

As the Flag Captain, I am coming to the membership for your assistance.  This assistance is just not for me, but it is for the most honorable organization I have ever participated with as a member.  I am proud to be Connecticut Patriot Guard.  This pride is instilling in my to go above and beyond to help my fellow Patriot Guard members to succeed in doing what we do. 

To do this, I need your assistance.  My goal is to coordinate the logistics of flags for our missions and flag lines. We are seeking volunteers to help us coordinate the logistics of the flags. We have had two members volunteer so far. Our goal is to strategically locate the flags throughout Connecticut, in key locations, i.e. Police Departments, member homes, etc. The volunteers will help transport the flags to the missions. Please contact me directly to learn more about our needs and how you can help with the logistics of flags.

Thank you,

Don Camden

860-301-0873

From: Don Camden

Subject: Transport of Flags

I am looking for someone going to the mission in East Hampton on Friday May 25th in a cage who can transport the flags. The flags are in East Haddam at my house. If you can assist, contact me at 860-301-0873.

Thanks,

Don Camden

All Connecticut PGR members that would like to ride in the Ansonia Memorial Day Parade please let me know ASAP. ANSONIA donates $100.00 to the Connecticut PGR for the riders! It’s Sunday May 27th at 1300 we START at NOLAN FIELD ON THE ANSONIA/SEYMOUR LINE off route 8. Please call me 203-606-5690.

Ray Gagne
SR. Ride Captain

Note – this is an “Attend on Your Own” event.