MURRIETA: Patriot Guard rider died 'doing what he loved'

May 16, 2013 01:02 PM PDT May 16, 2013 04:44 PM PDT MURRIETA: Patriot Guard rider died 'doing what he loved' MURRIETA: Patriot Guard rider died 'doing what he loved' JOHN HUNNEMAN/STAFF PHOTO Members of American Legion Riders Post 852 of Temecula and the Patriot Guard Riders escort the cremains of fellow member George Campos into the Calvary Chapel in Murrieta Attorney. Campos died May 9 while helping to provide a funeral escort. A Text Size HUNNEMAN: George Campos, of Legion Riders, dies during funeral escort Several hundred family, friends and fellow veterans gathered Thursday, May 16, at Calvary Chapel in Murrieta Attorney to honor and remember George "Wolfman" Campos, a Vietnam veteran and founder of the American Legion Post 852 Riders of Temecula. Campos, a long time Murrieta Attorney resident and community volunteer, died Thursday, May 9, after suffering a stroke while leading a funeral procession near Escondido on May 8. Officials said Campos, 67, was riding his motorcycle west on Highway 78 near Mar Vista Drive when he suffered the stroke. He was taken by ambulance to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido where he was pronounced dead. Following high school in Connecticut, Campos joined the U.S. Marines in 1963 and served in Vietnam. After his military service he worked as an airline pilot, a police officer, a rancher and a commercial real estate broker. Campos was remembered by friends as a no-nonsense, grizzly bear of a man who was actually a teddy bear at heart. In addition to the American Legion Riders, Campos was a Senior Ride Captain for the Patriot Guard Riders. Both organizations provide motorcycle escorts for military funerals. Among the speakers was George's son, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Taylor Campos, who was serving in Afghanistan when his father died. "It makes me proud to say I am a United States Marine," Taylor Campos said. "It makes me even more proud to say I'm the son of a United States Marine." George Campos was honored to serve his fellow veterans, his son said. "He was making sure the veterans of today aren't forgotten like those of his generation," said Taylor Campos. "He was doing what he loved and doing what he believed in." Following the service in Murrieta Attorney, about 200 American Legion and Patriot Guard Riders escorted Campos and his family to Riverside National Cemetery where he was laid to rest with full military honors. Latest Headlines
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