Terry Longpre

MILITARY & MOTORCYCLES – JANUARY 3, 2013

Second Amendment First of all, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. On December 15, 1791, ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States were ratified under what is known as the ‘Bill of Rights.’ I am not a scholar by any means or stretch of the imagination, however I know what the ‘Bill of Rights’ says. Not being a lawyer I don’t try to make it any different than the original intent in which it was written by men much more intelligent than me two hundred plus years ago. Amendment II states, “A…
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Military & Motorcycles – December 14, 2013

  Last week I mentioned the upcoming “Wreaths Across America” Project and the laying of wreaths at Sarasota National Cemetery. Again, if you have never been to the cemetery you owe it to yourself to take time to visit even if you are not a veteran.   For those who are motorcyclists the Patriot Guard Riders will be escorting a Wal-Mart semi, which will contain the 5,000 plus wreaths needed for each headstone at the cemetery.   For those who may be interested here is the information on the escort.   Date and Time: December 15 – Staging 7:30 AM…
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Military & Motorcycles – December 7, 2012

Sarasota National Cemetery at CHRISTmas   Looking back at the development of the Sarasota National Cemetery I find it hard to believe it has come so far in such a short period of time. I have watched the now hallowed ground go from pasture land to that of one of the top Veterans Administration Cemeteries in the country. For those of you who may never have been to the cemetery it is located at 9810 State Road 72 (Clark Road), Sarasota. As a Patriot Guard Riders (http://www.patriotguard.org/) I have attend numerous committal services at the Sarasota cemetery as well as…
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Military & Motorcycles – November 21, 2012

A Country Divided Even after the worse election in this country’s history, we are still at odds with each other through party lines.  A person would think we as a nation could get along enough to be able to do the bidding of the voter’s who are the real bosses of those in Washington, the state, counties and cities. Personally, I am a little upset that grown men and women seem unable to respond to their voter base. Take a deep breath and get it together for the sake of this country. There is always a little give and take…
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Military & Motorcycles November 16, 2012

  What does SEAL Team 8, a Navy Four Star Admiral, an Army Colonel, a MOH, a parade and hundreds of tiny legs have in common? And the answer is simple, absolutely the best Veterans Day Weekend for me ever.   As I mentioned last week I was headed to Fort Pierce to spend a couple of days with the members of Navy SEAL Team 8 who were giving demonstrations at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum for ’Muster XXVII.’   If you ever want to learn more about the Navy’s most elite teams the SEAL Museum is the place to…
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Terry Longpre … Patriotism

Patriotism Thursday, November 1, I rode to Derby Lane Greyhound Track not to bet on the dogs but to take time to honor those who served in Vietnam and lost their lives doing so. I met with men and women who either had served in Vietnam or had family members who had. Our mission for the day was to escort the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall over 42 miles of Pinellas County roads during which time we passed twelve schools where students were waiting for our arrival, waving, yelling with small American flags in hand. Along our route, we passed folks…
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MILITARY & MOTORCYCLES – NOVEMBER 1, 2012

You Lied! WARNING – I am a liberal’s worst nightmare. I carry a Bible, a copy of The Constitution of United States, hunt, fish, pray, salute the American Flag, been in the military and law enforcement and believe the United States is the greatest county on the face of the Earth, bar none. If you are okay with that then continue reading. My comments a couple of weeks ago regarding the Benghazi TERRORIST attack seems to have finally come to light by everyone with the exception of the main stream media outlets. First of all it was not a spontaneous attack it…
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Military & Motorcycles October 26, 2012

Dust Em’ Off Finally the weather is showing signs of Fall in the air with cooler temperatures and less rain. This is the time of year I year I tell people who are fair weather riders or have a dislike for hot and/or wet riding conditions to charge up the batteries, “Dust em’ off and get riding.” Keep in mind not only will we have better riding conditions we will also have an overabundance of folks from out of state utilizing our highways. The new comers could be lost or trying to locate a specific location and not paying attention…
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Military & Motorcycles – October 19, 2012

“Wreaths Across America” “IN HONOR OF A DECEASED SOLDIER” “Wreaths Across America” is now accepting donations for sponsorship of Christmas Wreaths which will be placed at the grave sites of our beloved soldiers at the VA Sarasota National Cemetery which is located at 9810 State Road 72 (Clark Road) Sarasota. The cemetery personnel can be contacted at (941) 922-7200. Please make your checks payable to Sarasota Military Academy (PTCC). They can either be dropped off or mailed to SMA at 801 N. Orange Avenue, Sarasota, FL  34236. The deadline for ordering is November 20, 2012. Each wreath is only $15.00.…
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Military & Motorcycles – October 12, 2012

Special People Almost three years ago I attended the grand opening of the new Bradenton Veterans Administration Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) not only as writer, but also as one of their veteran patients. As soon as the doors opened to the new clinic I met with the man who is responsible for the volunteers who serve the Bay Pines Community. I was immediately signed up, interviewed, took the required classes, fingerprinted, photographed, had a background check done and issued an ID card. From that day to this day I have been the Head Volunteer for the clinic. Believe it…
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MILITARY & MOTORCYCLES – OCTOBER 5, 2012

You Know What Makes Me Happy Riding my motorcycle to Bradenton three mornings a week and seeing two American Bald Eagles majestically perched near their nest. Seeing American flags at various homes and businesses in and around the county displayed with ‘American Pride.’ Knowing my great grandparents traveled thousands of miles by ship from Ireland to this great country for the opportunity to better not only themselves but their families. Once here, they worked hard to become Americans, not Irish-Americans. They learned the language, assimilated into their communities and set out to make it better for future families. Knowing if…
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MILITARY & MOTORCYCLES – SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

Blind or Misguided Reporting  Four years ago, I attended the John McCain Rally at Robart’s Sports Arena in Sarasota. Thursday I attended the Mitt Romney campaign at Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota. What I found to be interesting as I nestled myself among the mainstream media folks from local and national venues was the coverage. In front of the museum, there were approximately 45 protesters, which seemed to glean a large amount of TV and print time verses the large crowd of Romney supporters. At one point while I was on the roadway in front of the museum, one of…
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Military & Motorcycles – September 14, 2012

Educate Yourself and Vote I would like to preface to this column with why I think the way I do. I spent four years in the military and 27 years in law enforcement here in Manatee County.   From the time I could first vote until few years back I was a registered Democratic. During the years I have voted I have seen what appeared to be changes in both parties. I feel the basic elements of the Democratic and Republican parties had gone almost 180 degrees opposite of what they had been when I first started voting (my personal…
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Military & Motorcycles – September 7, 2012

Music and 9-11 Rides Saturday my wife and I went to the Manatee United Methodist Church (315 15th St E, Bradenton) and had the best time listening to Country Gospel Music performed by Jim and Tim.   They perform the 1st Saturday of each month and it well worth the time to go and listen. You’ll find it is old time gospel, a little country, patriotic and inspirational all at the same time.   For full disclosure I have known Jim Pierce for 35 years or so. A few years ago we got back together at one of their concerts…
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Military & Motorcycles – August 31, 2012

Things to Ponder   As anyone can imagine the summer months are slow as far a motorcycle runs and events due to obvious reasons, heat, rain, and sometimes high winds.   As a writer I find myself drifting off track of my responsibility in so much as I have to find interesting areas to write about. I was at a “Bike Night” at one of the local Harley-Davidson dealers this last Saturday evening. As I looked around, I saw numerous riders who had been in the military at one time or another.   A few days ago, I received an…
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Military & Motorcycles – August 24, 2012

The Cost of Voter Apathy On August 14, 203, four hundred eighty-one registered voters in Manatee County had the freedom to make a difference in the electoral process. Sadly only 21.02% of them took advantage of the process. There are numerous reasons for such a dismal showing at the polls.   One being most people have become upset with the mudslinging which is worse this time than any time in our history. The mud is so deep at this point that a voter has to wear chest waders just to trudge to the polls.   Secondly is the vast amount…
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