We Gift More Than Just a Motorcycle

Riding is an alternative therapy; and our gifts are the tools by which an injured Veteran rider regains its healing benefits. The Harleys are not awards for service achievements, popularity-based or simply thank-you gifts but are, instead, meant to help redirect, if not save, struggling and at-risk Veteran’s lives by returning them back to The Road. While our goal is to gift one bike a year, since our first gifting in May 2016, FIFTY Wisconsin Veterans have now regained riding in their lives. YOU put them on some incredibly beautiful bikes that fill their hearts, clear their minds, and reconnect supportive bonds. In 2025 alone, your support has made it possible for another TEN struggling, injured WI Veteran riders to regain healing and freedom from The Road. We are currently in fundraising mode for more Harleys to gift in 2026, and we thank you for being on this ride with us.

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LATEST NEWS

A DOUBLE GIFTING! MEET VETERAN #54: Army Staff Sergeant Clifford Williams of Black Creek, WI joined the Infantry for the distinction of becoming a Calvary Scout and to get the combat action he wanted He did just that and he got just that: 15 months in Afghanistan’s southern region working as “the eyes and ears” of the commander on the battlefield. Stationed primarily at a Combat Outpost, he worked the field out of a truck or rucksack on reconnaissance missions and security operations. While manning a guard tower, he saw the orange streak move across the sky and lost consciousness upon impact on his tower. Cliff was medevaced out, diagnosed with a TBI and placed on bedrest for ten days. His recovery complete, he went back out for another ten months. The attack’s injury would earn him a Purple Heart; the TBI and PTSD would leave him with a lifetime of struggle. Cliff had been riding since he was 18 for the adrenaline fix and to clear his head; and without the ability to ride the last three years, his mental health has struggled. We were glad for the chance to reconnect this rider with his healing passion and a stand-out 2024 Road Glide Special in Whiskey Fire from Doc’s Harley-Davidson in Bonduel, WI. Read Cliff’s story here and join us for his Presentation of Keys on May 24, 2025 at 3:00 pm at Bull Falls H-D in Wausau following the Benefit Ride for us (click here for the flier)!

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INTRODUCING RECIPIENT #53:  Army Veteran Ryan Ninedorf, of Chilton, WI, believes he was born to serve.  After becoming a Firefighter and Paramedic, his enlistment in the Army Reserves took him to Afghanistan in 2008 for a one-year tour filling holes that required a medic.   Ryan worked with Special Forces for a two week mission, staffed the base’s Aid Station and picked up shifts as a flight medic, and he rolled with convoys as a combat medic.  It was during his time in convoy that a remote IED detonation under his vehicle would earn Ryan a Purple Heart and a lifetime of struggle.  He’s worked hard the last nine years to rebuild; and riding has been key to it all.  In 2024 Ryan sold his bike to meet his changing financial needs; and unable to buy another, all he’d built was now in jeopardy.   Hogs For Heroes was honored for the chance to keep this servant’s heart on the road, and Appleton H-D made a dream 2017 Ultra Limited fit our budget and get him back on the road!  Read Ryan’s story here and join us for his Presentation of Keys on May 24, 2025 at 3:00 pm at Bull Falls H-D in Wausau following the Benefit Ride for us there! 

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VETERAN RECIPIENT #52 PULLED FROM CROWD FOR THE SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME!   Marine Dave Lehrer of Appleton, WI was helping a friend attend our 51st Presentation of Keys when we called his name and made him Recipient #52 on the spot.  Dave joined the Marines during peacetime, watched the 9/11 attack in class and then landed in Fallujah, Iraq in January 2004 for a year.  A second year’s deployment followed shortly thereafter to the same place…and Dave has the deep, personal PTSD scars to show for it.  Riding opened up his heart and mind, but affording his own bike was far out of reach.  Hogs For Heroes believed our gift could support this at-risk Veterans life.  Dave realized his dream in a 2025 H-D Low Rider ST from Appleton H-d, and those amazing folks made that brand new bike fit our budget.  Read Dave’s story of brave service, and sacrifice, here.

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MEET OUR FIRST RECIPIENT OF 2025: Marine Veteran Andy Hanscom of Green Bay, WI was selected as Recipient #51. We moved fast on this one: we met him 4/19, bought his bike on 4/23 and gifted his bike on 4/26 during the Northeastern WI Motorcycle Show that we’d planned on being at! You can catch this Combat Veteran’s story of grit amongst struggle, and learn how he eventually found the chance to serve again by clicking here to read it.

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LEARN ABOUT PAST RECIPIENTS! Miss the stories of our past Recipients?  Catch them below by simply clicking on the Veteran’s name button. See the Harleys they’ve chosen–some new, some barely broken in–by clicking on the Recipient Photos button here or the icon below.

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CATCH OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER!  Find out the latest happenings and updates in our most recent Hogs for Heroes newsletter.  Read it here!

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SUPER COOL NEWS: Our Recipients created a way to express their appreciation and pride for the healing gifts your donations have made possible.  In addition to the decals they had made exclusively for Recipient use, they chose to have license plates that reflect their gifting number within the Hogs For Heroes family.  Watch for WI motorcycle plates on the road that read H4H## (i.e. H4H6 or H4H47, etc.).  And please note, Hogs For Heroes does not ask Recipients to tag their bikes (or themselves!) in any way.  They choose to do this.

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