1-22 Infantry Motorcycle Mentorship

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

1-22 Infantry Motorcycle Mentorship Ride

September 20, 2007

1-22 Infantry Motorcycle Mentorship Patriot Guard Ride to honor Officer David Camden TPD

By Captain Ed Kennedy, B/1-22 Infantry Commander

Temple Police Officer David Camden died on 14 September 2007 while riding his motorcycle in a funeral procession.
Officer Camden had a distinguished career in law enforcement and was a proud member of the Patriot Guard,
who personally rode on several occasions in support of fallen members of the military.
On 20 September the Patriot Guard gathered to honor one of their own on Officer Camden’s last ride
and the 1-22 Infantry Motorcycle Mentorship Program was there to support this mission.

Officer David Camden

The Patriot Guard’s lineage traces back to the summer of 2005 with their main mission to attend the funeral services
of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Many are former military themselves,
and each mission has two basic objectives: first is to show respect for fallen heroes, their families, and their communities,
and secondly to shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protester or group of protesters.

While protesters were not expected this day, Officer Camden’s last ride was an excellent opportunity
for the 1-22 Infantry Battalion Motorcycle Mentorship Program to honor a local hero who has given so much to his community.
1SG Eric Cameron and I coordinated and led the ride of 22 bikers and one passenger from 1-22 Infantry.
The ride in support of a law enforcement officer who was a patriot guard member seemed like a perfect opportunity
to gather the riders of the battalion for a day of camaraderie, to continue to improve our own riding skills,
but even more importantly to give back to those from the local community that have supported countless members of the military.
As a long term goal we hoped that this day would help to foster a mentorship relationship
between the members of the Patriot Guard and the Soldiers and riders of 1-22.
The Patriot Guard has logged in countless miles of safe motorcycle rides and remain eager
to continue to support Soldiers in whatever way possible.

This ride was particularly special as the motorcade from the funeral in Temple to the cemetery in Killeen
included over 110 motorcycles and 60 squad cars from literally all over Texas, and stretched out over seven miles long.
As we passed through the towns you could see city employees, business owners and just people passing by
that would stop whatever they were doing to pay their respect. Officers and firefighters stopped traffic and stood at attention.
Construction workers took off their hard hats while standing on their scaffolding and bowed their heads.
Members of 1-22 realized that day that they were only a small part of the procession, this was not about us.
However, we still had a significant impact on members of the procession. Countless civilians, ex-military
and even law enforcement officers approached the Soldiers, either next to their bikes
or as they were proudly forming the flag line with other Patriot Guard members, to thank them for their service
and for coming out on this occasion. While extremely appreciative of the support of the military,
that was not the intent of the day. We were there to honor Officer David Camden, who devoted his life to helping others.

At the cemetery there was a 21-gun salute followed by Taps.
Then over the police radios could be heard,
“End of watch, 498, Officer David Camden. We wish you God speed to your final destination. We will miss you.”