Published: June 14, 2008 11:41 pm         

Soldiers killed in Iraq honored by Patriot Guard

With tears in her eyes, Carolyn Storey Inherst, mother of Army Staff Sgt. Clint Storey stood next to Patriot Guard riders Saturday morning as they planted a flowering hosta in memory of her son.

It’s still hard, Storey Inherst said, after nearly two years since her son was killed Aug. 4, 2006 in Iraq. But knowing her son is missed and not forgotten, “that means everything,” she said.

The Patriot Guard Riders of Oklahoma spent Saturday remembering fallen soldiers, Doug Carter, of Enid, said. Carter rode with the processions honoring both Storey and Army Staff Sgt. Chris Hake, who was killed March 23 in southern Baghdad.

“Our motto is ‘we shall never forget,’” Carter said. “This is our way of saying we won’t.”

Also participating in the procession were law enforcement members from Enid and North Enid Police Departments, as well as the Garfield County Sheriff’s Department, and fire personnel from Kremlin, Drummond, Lahoma and Enid.

“In the war on terror, it’s not just military personnel we honor,” Carter said. “Fire departments and police departments are our front lines here in the U.S.”

Patriot Guard lead rider Wendy Huskey helped organize the events in Enid, and said she was glad they were able to place remembrances. She said they had some problems with the city of Enid in setting up the event, but “Mayor Criner really stepped up.”

They planted hostas at Oklahoma Bible Academy, where Hake graduated in 2000, and at Enid High School, where Storey attended classes.

Members of Storey’s family attended the planting at EHS, many of them wearing white T-shirts saying “In loving memory of SSgt Clint J. Storey.”

Huskey said the Patriot Guard planned to ride to Sayre, where Hake’s mother lives, to plant a remembrance there.

Storey is survived by his wife, Melissa, daughter Adela and son Clint Joseph Storey, II, who was born in Feb. 2007, his mother, Storey Inherst and stepfather Bill Inherst.

Hake is survived by his wife, Kelli, son Gage, and parents Peter Hake and Denice York.

The Patriot Guard Riders attend the funerals of military personnel to show respect for the fallen, their families and communities, and to shield the mourning families from protesters, according to their Web site, www.pgrok.org.