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The Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine
PGR Mission For Wayne Hebert
By: Wally Wersching n August 5th, I received an invitation to attend a PGR Mission for Wayne Hebert in Boiling Springs, SC on Saturday, August 8th. The name Wayne Hebert . rang a bell. I knew a Wayne Hebert . from PGR Missions a few years ago. He was always at the missions in South Carolina. I remember that we talked a lot when we met at the missions and became friends. He tried to talk me into joining the American Legion Riders at his American Legion Post 200, which was located in Spartanburg at the time. As an Air Force veteran, he was very active in the Legion. He even had his Kawasaki motorcycle decked out like it was in the Air Force. Whenever there was a PGR Mission in South Carolina, I always looked for him. We had many pleasant conversations. That was about three years ago. I hadn’t seen him since then even though I looked for him at all the South Carolina PGR Missions. After realizing who the PGR Mission was for, I had to go. I left home about 12:30 on August 8th heading south on I-85. I exited at Rte. 9, and went north, after a few miles Floyd’s Boiling Springs Chapel was on the left. I arrived at the Chapel at about 1:15 – just in time for the briefing held by India Rackley – the ride captain. She explained that the flag line would be in shifts of twelve. There were well over 24 PGR members in attendance. She also encouraged us all to hydrate because it was very hot – about 95 degrees in the
shade. Luckily, the flag line was in the shade by the entrance of the chapel. The rest of us had to stand in the sun or find a little shade in the parking lot. No matter where we were, it was still hot. One of the PGR Members in the flag line became dizzy from the heat and had to be helped into the truck with the A/C on full blast. He drank some cold water too – trying to get back to normal. After my shift on the flag line, I went into the Chapel to sign the visitation book for Wayne’s family. While I was there, I saw Wayne’s vest hanging on display. Whenever I saw him, he was wearing that vest with a white shirt underneath. He always looked very professional during the PGR Missions. The American Legion Post 200 was scheduled to give Wayne all the military honors he deserved after the visitation was over at about 4:00pm. After I went back outside, it was time for my shift again on the flag line. I didn’t mind standing in the shade even though it was hot, the sun wasn’t baking me. After another shift, it was time for me to head home. It was very hot, and my feet were bothering me, so I said my goodbyes and rode the long way home. I was glad that I could be there for Wayne. I knew that if the roles were reversed, he’d be there for me.
