Nancy Wagner, of Emmaus, was expecting visitors, but even so, she was surprised to hear the roar of seven motorcycles rumbling down Arch Street and pulling into her home's driveway.

The cyclists were members of a Christian motorcycle organization founded among her church congregation – the Spirit Riders of Bethany United Methodist Church, along Brookside Road, Wescosville.

The cyclists were on a mission May 3, visiting six families who have loved ones deployed overseas in the American military. They were delivering support material, a soldier's prayer book and a blue star to place prominently in a home's front window to testify a loved one from the home is serving in the military overseas.

The Blue Star program dates back to World War I when blue stars were displayed to let community members know a member of a household was serving overseas and deserved respect and support.

Over the years, the blue star was replaced with a gold star if the service member was killed. Gold star mothers have been recognized in the United States for the special sacrifice they have borne.

Spirit Rider spokesman David Weider said there were 86 families with loved ones serving in the U.S. military – with 26 families with loved ones deployed overseas.

Wagner's son, Daniel, an Emmaus High graduate, class of 2001, joined the U.S. Marines in August 2001, and was on a rifle range at boot camp Sept. 11 when the terrorist attack on America was unfolding.

After 13 years with the Marines, Daniel is a staff sergeant serving in Okinawa. He was deployed four times in Iraq and Afghanistan. His base of operations was near Fallujah in Iraq, and at Camp Leatherneck, in Afghanistan.

His work with the military involved electronic communications and work with the military's drone program. "My greatest joy is that my son was not hurt during tours in the war zone," Nancy said. "My church has been praying for his safety through all his deployments.

Daniel married his wife, Jessica, while he was in the service and he has been getting a college education through University of Maryland classes. He expects to get his degree by the time he leaves the service next March.

While Daniel is stopping short of a 20-year-career with the military, Nancy said another deployment to a war zone was not something Daniel wanted to experience.

After the cyclists prayed with Nancy for Daniel's continued safety, Nancy asked the cyclists to "remember the ones who have already returned from the military, because they carry the war with them even after they come home."