Ask, Care, Escort.... and RIDE!!!!

Hello friends.  I hope this post finds each of you well and that you are enjoying all that Spring has to offer.  I especially hope that you are able to be racking up some of those two wheeled miles that have proven to be elusive to me.

If you’re in search of a place to ride and a reason to do so, let me help you out.  Bear with me here for a minute as I unload on you a burden that weighs heavy on my heart. 

Since the attacks on 9-11, our country has been at war, the longest war in the history of our nation.  A war like we have never before fought, and with an all volunteer force.  We’ve all watched the 24 hour news feeds of the war on our televisions, from the streaks of green flame of the anti-aircraft batteries around Baghdad, to the earth trembling scenes of IED explosions in Kandahar.  We have seen the toppling of Saddam’s statues along with the hanging of Saddam himself.  We have celebrated the death of Osama Bin Laden and mourned the loss of our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters in uniform.

Eleven years of war.  It has lasted so long that there are some that forget we are even still fighting.  Nearly 5,000 of our servicemen and women have paid the ultimate price on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Five thousand front porch visits from stone faced messengers telling a family that their loved one will not be returning.  Devastating.

Now, let’s talk about something else equally as devastating and to me, far more shocking and unacceptable.  Our military are coming home from war zones daily.  We celebrate them.  We call them heroes, and deservedly so.  They stood in the gap for us.  They laid their lives on the line for us.  They accepted as part of their daily lives, the understanding that if by chance their life was to be given for us, then so be it.  But what happens to them after the welcome home parties? 

Our military are being killed at an unacceptable rate, but not necessarily by the enemies of our country.  They are dying by their own hand, and they are doing it at an alarming rate.

 

Fact:  Our veterans are committing suicide at the rate of nearly 2 dozen per day. 

Fact: There are many specific risks that our veterans are dealing with including:

·                              Multiple deployments to hostile environments

·                              Length of deployments

·                              Exposure to extreme stress, death, and combat.

·                             Physical and sexual assault while in service (not limited just to women)

·                            Service related injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic 

               Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other mental health diagnoses.

Fact: When our veterans receive the needed (and available) care from a VA facility (specifically a VA Serious Mental Illness Treatment, Research, and Evaluation Center), they are three times LESS likely to commit suicide. 

Friends, this has to stop!  

In step the American Gold Star Mothers, specifically Mrs. Cindy Tatum and Mrs. Molly Morel.  The AGSM’s are an association of ladies who have lost children in military service to our country.   If you will recall, Bumpus Harley-Davidson teamed with these remarkable ladies last summer and launched "A Tour of Duty" in which we were able to raise over $25,000 to help fund the building of a Fisher House facility in Murfreesboro.  The issue of soldier suicide (as well as Marine, Sailor, and Airman…. As these Marine mom’s quickly pointed out to me) was one that weighed on them as much as me.  We began the process of researching what was needed and what could be done.  Into the picture steps Irene Trebilcock, an active duty member of the TN Army National Guard, a dedicated Harley-Davidson rider, an Iraq veteran, friend and wife of BHD sales team member and Iraq veteran Dan Trebilcock.  Irene is also the liaison for the TN National Guard for suicide prevention. 

Here’s what we learned.  There are many programs that are set up for our returning veterans to seek and receive the assistance they need.  What we do not have is AWARENESS!  The culture in which our vets exist does not always lend itself to one that encourages them to seek help.  We have to help them through that barrier. 

This need sparked “A Tour of Duty II”, a ride to end the epidemic of veteran suicide.  We are partnering with the AGSM’s to raise money to fund awareness campaigns for the programs that can and will save the life of a vet on the precipice.  We will also spread the word across the state of Tennessee of how we can break the cycle amongst the veterans that exist in our circle of family and friends. 

This Saturday, June 8 at all Bumpus HD locations, TOD2 will launch.  Here’s how it works.  Stop by any BHD location.  With your $20 registration fee, you will receive a powerful “Tour of Duty II” t-shirt emblazoned across the back with the warning signs of veteran suicide, and a passport.  The ride functions like this.  Take that passport to all other BHD locations and get a stamp.  You can ride at your own leisure whenever you have time to do so.  The ride will culminate with a final bash at BHD in Jackson on July the 20^th.  Have your completed passport in to us by that time, drop it in a bucket and one lucky rider will win a $2500 Bumpus HD card. 

The tour is every day.  You can register at any time.  If you can’t make the ride, hit every location, or don’t ride at all, no problem.  Your $20 donation will still get you a t-shirt. 

More importantly, you’ll be making a difference amongst those that offered their life for yours.  They deserve it. 

It’s all about the ACE card…

A.C.E.

ASK-     Ask a veteran if they are ok.  Do they ever think of hurting themselves.

Care-     Care for a veteran.  Remove means for self harm.  Remain calm.  Actively listen and show

              understanding.  Produce relief. 

Escort-  Escort the veteran.  Never leave them alone.  Get them to a VA facility or emergency room.  Call a suicide prevention hotline.

For more information on Tour of Duty II contact me at scott.bumpus@bumpusharleydavidson.com or

Memphis area Joe Kilpatrick at joe.kilpatrick@bumpusharleydavidson.com

Middle Tennessee Kathy Potter at kathy.potter@bumpusharleydavidson.com

Jackson area Brittany Crouse at b.crouse@bumpusharleydavidson.com

For more information on suicide prevention contact The Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 or www.veteranscrisisline.net

Ride safe and with purpose and I’ll see you this Saturday for the kickoff.

Are you ready??

Here it is.  It’s the first week of March and I can’t remember I year when I’ve been off to a slower start.  I literally have not been more than 10 miles on a motorcycle since the middle of November.  Shameful!!  Not only did I hit my mileage goal last year, I kicked its ass.  Nearly 10,000 miles in a year!  That’s huge for me!  By the end of the first quarter last year I was sitting at nearly 2,000 miles and here I sit, with a sense of shame and an odometer loaded with goose eggs.  

Alas, the waning days of winter serve as a renaissance for my soul.  My mind is starting to race with the thoughts of getting back out there.  If you’ve followed any of my social media silliness, you might have seen that the bike I’d gotten set up for this year actually sold as it sat on the floor waiting for the weather to give a brief window.  Now, there’s a replacement on the rack, getting all dolled up for the ball.  The Old Red Sleds replacement, the as yet unnamed 2013 FLTRU Road Glide Ultra in Midnight Pearl, exquisitely yet tastefully dressed with all that I enjoy.

I spent the evening tonight gathering all of my gear which had begun to spread through my world.  As my riding slowed toward the end of last year, all organization began to slip and I’d find myself stumbling upon bits and pieces of it here and there.  That’s the first step toward losing my stuff, so I made up my mind that it was time to stem the spread and get everything back in order.  Typically, I’ll compartmentalize my gear.  I’d keep my raingear and gaiters together, leathers and other cold weather gear together, etc.  Without fail, I’d find myself needing the one set that happened to be in a closet at home when I was trying to hit the road from the store, and vice versa.  I’m trying something different this year.  Angie brought me home this great bag that HD has had out for a couple years.  

It’s a monster, but it’s able to hold all of my stuff in one bag.  It’s pretty versatile.  In the bag, I lined the bottom first with all of my heated gear.  On one internal pouch, I have my heated boots, heated jacket and pants, a set of “Under Armor”, the pouch containing my heated gloves (inside which I also keep my thermostat and splitter), my balaclava, toboggan, and waterproof gloves.  In another pouch, my raingear and gaiters.  Finally, the bottom was rounded out with my leather pants, chaps, heavy leather jacket, and technical pullover.  After sealing off that section, I next filed away my hydration jacket and a lightweight mechanics jacket.   

The outer pouches are equally great.  One holds all of my gloves, another, my electronic accessories, and finally, one for an atlas, bungee net, journal and pencil sharpeners.  Sounds like a lot of stuff for a ride, and, you know what?  It is.  I’ll never carry all of this stuff, but my new bag will serve as a rolling closet where I can find everything I need in one spot and never have to search.

Spring.  It’s here.  The riding season is here.  Mark your calendars for March 23.  Kickstands Up For a Cure will kick off the riding event schedule at Bumpus HD Jackson with a great event for Relay for Life and you can join yours truly for a Monday April Fools ride on Monday, April the 1^st.  Make plans, gather your gear, top off your gas tank, clear your head and join me as I say……..

Screw it, let’s ride. 

2013.  The year of the spinning odometer. 

Ride Safe, and with Purpose.

SMB