Veteran Receives Custom Harley of His Dreams
Battle scars aren’t always visible, but a Michigan charity, Foundation 14, seeks to heal them just the same.
Here at H-D Forums, we have the utmost respect for the servicemen and women who work hard to keep us safe every day. That’s why we love stories like this so much.
Jay Holly and Maria Caruso of Milan, Michigan, feel the same way we do, and, according to a report in the Hillsdale Daily News, they decided to do something about it. They started Foundation 14, an organization dedicated to providing customized Harley-Davidson motorcycles for disabled veterans.
Their first project was completed last October, when they presented a customized 2009 Sportster to a Marine who lost his leg in the Iraq War. While physical injuries extract quite a toll on our military veterans, there’s scars that we can’t see with the naked eye.
Darcy Barry of Reading, Michigan, remembers watching the World Trade Center fall in his sixth grade class. He was inspired to serve, and serve he did, enlisting in November 2008 right after graduating high school.
Barry experienced post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of losing several of his brothers in arms while serving overseas. To Barry, there’s nothing quite like being in a unit and experiencing that bond – that brotherhood — that only military service can create.
After his service ended, he found himself missing that bond. He tried to reenlist, but couldn’t due to his tattoos. As a result, he joined the US Army Reserves. Still serving on weekends, Barry, like many veterans, finds difficulty adjusting to day-to-day life after returning home.
Foundation 14 is hoping that his new motorcycle — a Harley-Davidson that Barry described as his “dream bike” — will help him to adjust back to civilian life. The organization hopes that forming a bond with other veterans and creating a group of riding buddies will help to create a new brotherhood for him to feel a part of.
They even customized matching ride-on toys for his two young sons, meaning that Barry’s new hobby will be a family affair.
Photos: Hillsdale Daily News
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