MT. VERNON — When Randy Smith returned from serving in Vietnam, crowds of people screamed at him, calling him and all his fellow soldiers “baby killers” and making obscene gestures.

Despite the vitriol, Smith said when he arrived in Seattle after his deployment, he was just happy to be home.

But those crowds aren’t something he’ll ever forget.

Smith was a member of the American Legion Riders, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who support Legion events, when he attended the funeral of Woodlawn native Lance Cpl. Kyle Price, who died in the line of duty in January 2006, that he became active with the Patriot Guard Riders.

“The Patriot Guard Riders was there at his funeral, so I asked about how to get started,” Smith said. “I went to their Web site and signed up on that. They have a link for all the funerals they’re going to be having, and you can pick the one closest to your home.”

Smith said when the Patriot Guard Riders have the responsibility of escorting a fallen soldier home, they form a flag line at the visitation and the funeral, and ride their motorcycles or other vehicles in front of the hearse on the way to the cemetery.

The Patriot Guard Riders organization came into being in 2005, after a group calling themselves a “church” and espousing thanks in the deaths of soldiers began protesting at the funerals of those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, Smith said.

“In Topeka, a soldier was going to be buried, and the Westboro Baptist Church was going to be at the funeral, so a bunch of American Legion Riders heard about it, and were in town, so they said, ‘We’ve got to protect the family from these people,’” Smith explained.

The riders stand in a circle around the funeral tent, holding on to the flag of the person next to him, in effect, creating a shield around the area, Smith said.

“If they start their ornery talk, a few of the guys start their Harley’s up and drown ‘em out,” Smith said.

Though the law in several states has changed to prohibit protesting groups from being closer than 200 feet of the funeral, the Patriot Guard Riders has grown to more than 200,000 strong across the country, he said, with about 40 riders in the Southern Illinois region. The region, from Interstate 70 to Cairo, is one of seven sections in the state.

Smith, who still wears the short haircut of a military man, said most members of the group are veterans, though others are welcome to join.

The riders perform as escorts for the funerals of both soldiers who were killed in action and veterans who died of natural causes, Smith said, at events sending off soldiers ready to deploy and at parades to welcome deployed soldiers home.

Smith said the riders have to be invited to a military-related event; they “don’t just show up.”

“Most people now know who we are,” he said. “They know we’re the good guys; when we first started off, people were leery. They think of motorcycle gangs.”

Smith has been involved in funerals, parades and other events in Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, and one “mission” in Knoxville, Tenn.

He  has also participated in cross-country trips to raise awareness of the organization and encourage support of the troops.

“In April ’07, me and three guys from Indiana, one guy from Chicago and one guy from Montana left Fort Wayne, Ind. … We rode to all four corners of the U.S.,” Smith said.

One rider had a mounted American flag on his motorcycle; another had a yellow PGR flag, which reads “riding with respect,” and Smith towed a white motorcycle trailer emblazoned with the Patriot Guard Riders emblem.

“We did it kind of to promote the Patriot Guard Riders, to support the soldiers overseas,” Smith said about riding to the corners of the U.S., adding that the American flag they displayed was the first to be taken across the country on a motorcycle.

He said when the group stopped, they had curious bystanders sign flags and sent them to soldiers in Afghanistan.

“We found out that patriotism was well alive on that trip,” Smith said. “We was really surprised. People are well behind the troops. It made us feel good, because we was all vets.”