Pocono News Section

Soldiers Angels Give Hero's Welcomes

Soldiers Angels Give Hero's Welcomes - Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 5:10PM EST

Reported by: Mike Trim
Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009 @ 05:10pm EST
The motorcade Brian Patton received shows the sacrifices of our servicemen and women are not forgotten. But it wasn't always this way.

Veterans of wars like Vietnam received less than a warm welcome when they returned stateside. One group is making sure that doesn't happen for this generation of troops.

From a distance, the Soldiers Angels has a tough biker club image. But look closer and you'll find a softer side. You'll see veterans making sure current troops hear the two words they didn't: Welcome Home.

They are on the front lines of nearly every homecoming and they stand at attention, saluting the fallen at funerals. A group of men and women called the Soldiers Angels, a biker club dedicated to honoring the sacrifices of servicemen.

Frank Cordiero, a Navy veteran from Tamaqua, said, "Vets help vets. That's what this organization is about."

Wearing traditional biker vests and riding on big loud motorcycles , veterans like Cordiero make sure troops get a warm welcome home, even though he did not.

Cordiero, like many in this group, are Vietnam war veterans. "They know someone cares, where, in the Vietnam war it was totally different. Other than family, we didn't have no homecoming, no group of people to supported us," he said.

Vietnam veteran Joe Minor of McAdoo remembers his return home. "The Vietnam era, guys would come home alone. You know, we didn't come home with our ship, we didn't come home with our troop or our battalion. When I came home I flew home that was it, it was over."

The Soldiers Angels want to make sure that never happens again. When they hear about a group of troops coming back home, they mount up, rev up, and hit the highway.

"It gives me chills. It's kind of like I'm honored to be able to be the escort the guys home or just when they come home to be there holding a flag," said Minor.

Joe's son Jim liked his welcome home so much, he joined the soldiers. "It's better than any feeling I've had as a soldier in a long time," he said.

Minor, a National Guardsman, is a veteran of the first gulf war and the current war in Iraq. When he returned stateside, he joined his fellow national guardsmen on the ride home to the Hazleton Armory.

Seeing the Soldiers Angels lead the way brought even the toughest soldiers to tears. "There were guys that saw real hard combat on that bus with me and I saw some of them tear up because they knew they're being brought home to their families with such a show of respect and love," he said.

National Guard 1st Sergeant Warren Hunsicker was on the same bus. "It's just nice to know that your country appreciates your sacrifices," he said.

And seeing this group of bikers reminds him why he served so many months overseas. "Sometimes you lose faith in what you're doing and it's nice to keep in contact knowing that they appreciate and they're thinking of you while you're over there," he added.

And as long as servicemen and women put their life on the line for their country, the Soldiers Angels say they'll be there to welcome them back and salute their service.

The Soldiers Angels club has welcomed troops home for 5 years. They have chapters in Hazleton and a new chapter in Olyphant, Lackawanna County. They also send troops overseas care packages.