A cross-country mission of honor
American Legion Rider Joseph Richter hugs Gold Star mom Tracy Beede after driving more than 1,700 miles to present her with a battlefield cross.

A cross-country mission of honor

When Gold Star mother Tracy Beede’s battlefield cross in honor of her son was broken while in transit from Ohio to Utah, Ohio resident Susan Conkey – who painted the original battlefield cross – offered to send the mom another one free of charge. But Conkey had a problem: She didn’t know how to send the cross a second time without risking it being broken.

That’s where American Legion Rider Joseph Richter stepped in. A member of Parma, Ohio, Post 703’s Sons of The American Legion squadron, Richter drove the cross more than 1,700 miles to Vernal, Utah, to present it to Beede intact. The cross honors Beede’s son, U.S. Marines Corp Sgt. Daniel Gurr, who was killed in action in 2011 while serving in Afghanistan.

Richter said Conkey had looked into sending the cross on a bus and was told it would have to ride in the cargo bay and risk being broken again. A trucking company was going to charge her $400-$500 to deliver it. So Conkey shared her dilemma on Facebook. “I can't believe with all the motorcycle clubs veterans groups, people who just have nothing to do but travel the United States traveling in retirement, that I can't find anybody that wants to take a battle cross/fallen soldier statue out to a mother in Utah, whose son was killed in Afghanistan,” Conkey wrote.

“I was checking Facebook and saw her post,” Richter said. “It was just tearing at me.”

Richter contacted Ohio’s ALR State Chairman Mindy Hinkle and told her, “I’ll take it all the way, knock on the door and give it to (Beede),” Richter said.

With Hinkle’s support, Richter made plans to deliver the cross. He said James Bryson, a Legionnaire and Patriot Guard Rider in Vernal who had escorted Gurr’s body home, helped with the local logistics. Back in Ohio, Post 703 conducted a memorial service on Sept. 25, where a 50-50 drawing helped Richter with fuel expenses.

Media alerts were sent out, resulting in coverage along the way, and a Facebook page was set up to track Richter’s journey. He drove the entire way towing a POW-MIA trailer to share that message as well.

Richter traveled 1,769 miles, moving through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Colorado before arriving in Vernal. On Oct. 4 during a public ceremony, Richter presented the battlefield cross to Beede.

“When I met (Beede), it was like having a sister you’d never known before,” Richter said. “Once she was there in front of (Vernal’s) City Hall, I hugged her like I had known her all my life.”

Richter had prepared remarks to say at the ceremony but couldn’t get through them. “After a couple words I broke down,” he said. “I still get choked up.”

After receiving the cross, Beede placed Daniel’s dog tags on it. “It's absolutely amazing a gentleman would bring something to someone he has never met,” Beede told the Vernal Express. She told Richter, “You're just as much a hero as (Daniel) is.”


Legacy Scholarship

Legacy Scholarship

The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund helps ensure higher education is a possibility for children whose parents lost their lives while on duty since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

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