American Legion Riders Post 104 and the Florida Patriot Guard - Welcome Home PFC Hildebrandt 27 May 2006, Tampa, Florida

The Florida Patriot Guard performed a mission run on Saturday, 27 May 2006 like none they had done before. For our Memorial Day Weekend we had the distinct pleasure and honor of welcoming home a young man on his mid-tour leave from Iraq. Like all combat veterans, PFC Hildebrandt has experienced heartbreak in combat. He lost his friend and mentor SSG Chris J. Schornak, 28 on 26 February 2006. He also said he had the best squad in the Army. He serves with 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Charlie Company 1/12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, Baghdad, Iraq. PFC Hildebrandt trusts his fellow brothers in arms and speaks highly of his Lieutenant, Mike Walker.
	Ed was visiting home on his mid-tour leave. Yvonne St. Cyr has been writing him during his tour and told him that she had plans for him to get together with some old classmates and have a party to celebrate his return home. Yvonne called her Dad, a member of American Legion Riders Post 104 and the Florida Patriot Guard. She wanted to know if there was anything we could do to make this young man's welcome home memorable. Her Dad, Lowell "Saint" St. Cyr immediately brought the homecoming idea up with his Legion Riders at their monthly meeting and it was met with enthusiasm. Every one was worn out from
all the sad events we normally attend and more than ready for something different. Then  Clayton Murphy, State Road Captain was notified. We told him what we had planned and he put it on the national site.           The rest is history. The response was overwhelming. The local American Legions, Posts 104 and 138, responded and the Florida Patriot Guard organized it. We   decided to meet at the Kash N Karry parking lot around the corner from where PFC Hildebrandt was expecting his party.
	Kick stands were supposed to be up at 2 pm. But riders kept arriving, so the departure time was set back a few minutes. We had riders from Orlando,  Naples, and locally. One rider was from Colorado and showed up during his vacation to welcome the young Private First Class home. We waited as long as we could for everyone who was coming to make it to the rally point.
Clayton gathered us all together and gave us our march orders. He and Bill Boggs, Mad Dog, from Post 138 planned out the route from the apartments where PFC Hildebrandt was located to the Legion Hall where we would buy him and his friend dinner and refreshments. Most of the riders were not familiar with Tampa and we saw a need to keep a tight formation as we traveled through the insane traffic of Tampa.
	Finally it was time to go.  We were only about a block from where PFC Hildebrandt was at so the trip to his complex was short. We roused the entire community when the rumbling engines shook the townhouses. The neighborhood was soon standing outside wondering what on earth was going on. We didn't care. We were simply there to welcome this young man home. He was pretty shocked when he realized that all those roaring motorcycles and riders were there to see him.
	After  all of the riders shook the shocked soldier's hand we gave him his orders.  Front and center, mount up and head out. We were off again on a hair raising ride through the streets of Tampa to Post 138 for food and refreshments.         American Legion Riders Post 138 is led by Bill Boggs, Mad Dog, and he had his Post prepared for the returning soldier. He and his friend Yvonne were treated to lunch and a few dozen beers. There was more handshaking.

I want to thank everyone who showed up to welcome PFC Hildebrant home. The American Legion Riders Post 104 for supporting this mission and encouraging it and the American Legion Riders of Post 138 for hosting the party afterwards. And of course I can't say enough for my friends of the Florida Patriot Guard. Special thanks go to State Road Captain Clayton Murphy for getting the word out. Another outstanding mission!
          Now that everyone has met PFC Ed Hildebrandt we have been able to put another face to this terrible conflict in Iraq. He will be in our hearts and prayers until he and his comrades return safely home.