ELICOTT CITY — A Maryland man who lost his nephew in Iraq now volunteers to support other military families in their time of grief.
Every Memorial Day, the rumble of motorcycles at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens signals a solemn promise—that no fallen hero will be forgotten. The Patriot Guard Riders, a group of patriotic motorcyclists and volunteers, have participated in this ceremony for nearly two decades.
For Mark Krause of Ellicott City, their presence is deeply personal.
WATCH: Patriot Guard Riders provide comfort to families of fallen heroes
"I didn't see the motorcycles at first, what I saw was what I would describe as a wall of flags," Krause said.
Krause lost his nephew, Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, in 2006. He was just 20 years old when he died in Iraq.
"He'd only been deployed for three weeks when he was killed," Krause said.
When Krause got the news, it broke him. They were close.
"You know, you hear people say all the time, 'he died doing what he loved,' and I think that was true for him... I think he... obviously who probably would've preferred to come back home, and in fact that was the last thing I said to him when I was on the phone, I said 'You better come back home,'" Krause said.
But on the day of Matthew's funeral, something extraordinary happened. Sixty members of the Patriot Guard Riders showed up—coming from five different states to stand silently and show respect.
"They rode 4 hours, on their motorcycles from New York... I mean, to have 60 strangers show up like that is just amazing," Krause said.
It was that moment that sparked something in Krause. Their compassion carried him—and soon, he was volunteering with them, standing for other families like his own.
"To give comfort to the families because just knowing someone is there to support you-- having seen it from both sides-- it makes a difference," Krause said.
Krause has become Assistant State Captain for the Patriot Guard Riders, helping lead their presence at ceremonies across Maryland—including at Dulaney Valley each Memorial Day.
"We will go and have a flag line outside the funeral home or the cemetery, we will have escorts from the church to the cemetery, whatever the family wants us to do," Krause said.
And when he's not at a homegoing service, his nephew's legacy lives on at home. A plaque at the base of his flagpole quietly honors a name that lives forever in his heart—Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder.
Krause says Memorial Day used to be just another holiday—barbecues, time off work. Now? It's sacred.
"To me, it's really important to remember," Krause said.
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