Raine Devries | 2 August 2026
Today, I am honored that Jon Meleshenko of the North Texas Patriot Guard Riders has agreed to share his firsthand perspective - and imagery - from the PGR mission escorting 19-year-old Private First-Class Isabella Gonzales to her final resting place.
Isabella was a native of Carrollton, Texas and 2025 graduate of Hebron High School who answered the call to serve her country with quiet determination. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in April 2025 at age 17 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany, where she served as a 14P Air and Missile Defense Crewmember. Supporting Operation Inherent Resolve at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, she was killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack. She is survived by her mother, sister, fiancé, and extended family.
Today TEXAS welcomed home one of her heroes
Every PGR mission is filled with honor, pride, grief, gratitude, and emotional exhaustion. Today, all of those emotions seemed magnified.
I had the privilege of serving as one of only twelve Patriot Guard Riders selected to ride as a flag bike during the dignified transfer of U.S. Army Private First Class Isabella Gonzales as she returned home to Texas.
As Isabella’s aircraft taxied onto the tarmac at DFW Airport beneath a water cannon salute, the reality of the moment was overwhelming. It was heartbreaking, humbling, and an honor beyond words.
Just honored..I don’t use the word honor lightly.
The Dallas Police Department provided an extraordinary escort with approximately 24 motorcycle officers and more than 20 patrol units. Motorcycle officers and honor bikes from neighboring agencies, including Farmers Branch, Carrollton, and Corinth, joined the procession. Six East Texas Patriot Guard Riders traveled from Longview to ride alongside six of us from North Texas. Together, we shared one mission—to ensure Isabella was brought home with the honor, dignity, and respect she so richly deserved.
As our procession traveled across the Dallas Metroplex, Dallas PD blocked every intersection and stretch of highway along our route. Traffic came to a complete stop. I watched drivers step from their vehicles. Some placed their hands over their hearts. Others stood at attention and rendered a salute as Isabella passed.
Those are moments I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Despite the relentless Texas heat, every mile was worth it. Motorcycle kickstands sank into the softened asphalt, uniforms were soaked with sweat, and not one person complained. Everyone understood why we were there.
The emotions throughout the day are difficult to describe—pride, heartbreak, gratitude, determination, and at times, tears.
The weight you carry while riding in a procession like this is immense. You’re constantly praying that nothing goes wrong, that every rider remains safe, and that the family sees the overwhelming love, honor, and respect surrounding them. You hope your presence eases—even if only by the smallest amount—the unimaginable pain they are carrying.
I couldn’t be prouder of my Patriot Guard Riders brothers and sisters from east, central and north Texas! They quietly volunteer to stand in the gap for complete strangers during some of the darkest days of their lives.
My heartfelt prayer is that Isabella’s family felt the incredible outpouring of love and support surrounding them today. While nothing can erase their loss, I hope they know they do not walk this journey alone.
Tomorrow morning, we will once again escort Isabella—this time to her final resting place at DFW National Cemetery.
Rest easy, PFC Isabella Gonzales.
Until tomorrow… we have the watch.
“It Is Finished.”
Today marked the final Patriot Guard Riders mission honoring U.S. Army Private First Class Isabella Gonzales.
Over the past two days, I had the humbling privilege of serving alongside my North Texas Patriot Guard Riders family, the Dallas Police Department, Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, the American Legion, and patriotic Texans as we stood beside Isabella and her family.
Yesterday, we escorted Isabella and her family from DFW Airport to the funeral home. We then escorted her family to Prestonwood Baptist Church for her memorial service, while Isabella remained at the funeral home under the watch of U.S. Army soldiers.
Today was Isabella’s final journey.
We escorted Isabella and her family from Carrollton to Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery under another flawless escort by the Dallas Police Department. More than 24 motor officers and 20 patrol vehicles secured every intersection, allowing the procession to move without interruption. By God’s grace, every rider arrived safely.
People often say, “Mission accomplished.” I struggle with those words today.
There is nothing successful about bringing a 19-year-old American soldier to her final resting place.
If there was any success, it was keeping our promise—to bring Isabella home with the honor, dignity, and respect she earned while surrounding her family with unwavering support.
As we entered the cemetery, the silence was overwhelming. Our 12 flag motorcycles paused before being escorted to Shelter A, where Patriot Guard Riders, veterans, military members, and supporters waited to receive Isabella one final time.
Throughout the procession, I rode 5 motorcycles behind the hearse today and yesterday. Whenever the road curved, I could see Isabella’s flag-draped casket through the windows.
Every glimpse broke me. I sobbed repeatedly, at times uncontrollably.
The committal service was beautiful. A member of Isabella’s family spoke about her faith and returned several times to John 14, where Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” In the middle of unimaginable grief, those words brought hope.
Then came Taps.
The rifle salute.
The folding of our nation’s flag.
Each moment carried a weight beyond words.
But what will stay with me most was hearing a mother’s cries.
As a father, I know the love we have for our children. Hearing a mother grieve the loss of hers reaches a place in your soul that never leaves.
Part of me wishes I could forget it. Another part hopes I never do. Remembering reminds me why we ride.
It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to escort Private First Class Isabella Gonzales and stand beside her incredible family. I pray they find comfort in knowing Texas showed up for their daughter and that her sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Godspeed, Soldier.
Rest easy, Isabella.
We have the watch.
Riders - if you have not yet gotten involved with a PGR chapter, please consider doing so. PGR was founded in 2005 as a result of protestors that showed up at military funerals.; Texas outlawed protests at military funerals in 2006.
Jon has been a great person to know over the years and I believe I first quoted him in one of my Thunder Press/American Rider articles back in 2015 in which I wrote about PGR’s involvement with the national nonprofit Snowball Express whose mission was to serve Gold Star Children; Snowball has since merged with the Gary Sinise Foundation.
You can read that article here: “Snowball Express IX: Guarding the innocents”
~Keep the shiny side up
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