Supporting Wisconsin Veterans.

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Hogs For Heroes came to life in late 2014 with a small family vision and our nonprofit designation. We raised our first dollar in the spring of 2015 and hoped to reach our goal of giving one Harley a year. Right on plan, we gifted our first bike in May of 2016…and with the close of our 2021 riding season, this small family nonprofit put a total of 22 injured Wisconsin Veteran riders back on the road with beautiful Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Riding is an alternative therapy and our gifts are the tools by which one gains it’s healing benefits. These pandemic times have been tough on everyone and despite this, you, our amazing Supporters, have generously shared to provide these life-changing gifts to struggling Veterans. In 2021 alone, you returned SIX injured Veteran riders back to the road! That’s six more lives fractured in service that will regain peace, freedom and control from riding. That’s six more families who will benefit from their loved one’s healing gains. And that’s six more Veterans that will reconnect with the supportive brotherhood found in riding…all because a motorcycle re-entered their lives.

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WE GIFT MORE THAN JUST A MOTORCYCLE
We work year round to raise funds for bikes and are currently fundraising for our 2022 Giftings. FOLLOW US & SHARE US on Facebook—this is how we communicate most news! The more others know what we’re doing, the faster we can make our vision a healing reality for another injured WI Veteran rider.

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AND JUST ANNOUNCED: #30, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD VETERAN NICK BREWER TO GET KEYS TO KEEP HIM ON THE ROAD! Nick Brewer, of Oshkosh, WI, is our eighth recipient of the year; and our gift will replace his broken, unreliable and small-fitting 1999 Kawasaki he currently has…with his first Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and a kick-ass Ultra Limited at that! With this upgrade, Nick will recapture the passion he has for riding, along with the stress-relieving and mind clearing needs this Veteran has. Nick spent seven years in the Guard, and his last year in the hostile, southern region of Iraq as a helicopter refueler. The hostility, repeated threats and dangers left him struggling with PTSD and depression, and a combative training exercise gone wrong left him with two herniated discs that took ten years to surgically repair. Nick returned home in significant pain and with easy signs of his emotional turmoil cracking through his tough persona. He took a riding class for the release he needed, and on the 30 year-old Honda his brother-in-law gave him, learned just what kind of healing power the road could provide him. Using his inner turmoil and counseling to push through his challenges, Nick successfully graduated with two degrees, is raising a young family, and has devoted his professional career to serving Veterans. Riding, however, on a dependable bike and one that allows him to capture those long distance miles he longs for, is out of reach for this young family’s tight budget. We felt that our healing gift would enhance Nick’s personal struggle and support his efforts to be a better family man and Veteran’s advocate. Unique to his bike, it has been fully paid for by…wait for it…quilters across our nation! In a unique fundraiser out of Primitive Gatherings Quilt Shop in Larsen, WI, quilters created a patriotic quilt and in lieu of paying for the pattern and tutorial, donated to the fundraiser’s goal of sponsoring a bike. They more than did so, and raised over $43,000 for us! We will gift this bike on their beautiful grounds on August 7 2022. Read Nicks story here and catch his Gifting Ceremony invitation here.

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BREAKING NEWS: WE JUST PULLED AN UNSUSPECTING #29 OUT OF THE CROWD AND RODE THE TRIKE HE NEEDED TO STAY ON THE ROAD RIGHT UP TO THE STAGE! MEET MARINE & ARMY VETERAN KEVIN ROPSON: Kevin Ropson, of Wrightstown, WI shared this in his application: “I’ve been riding since I was 18. That’s 43 years of wind therapy. I rode while I was at bootcamp, in between deployments, and while at home. I’ve road in wind, rain, snow and sun. My bike is my refuge; it’s my place and my release. I’ve had many bikes through the years. Unfortunately I’m 61, my back is getting worse and I’m having trouble keeping it up when I stop, getting the kickstand up and backing it up. I know my two wheel days are numbered, and I can not imagine my life without my much needed road therapy…and we don’t have the means to handle another payment.” Hogs For Heroes does. Since we knew what he needed, we covertly worked with his wife to plan the surprise, buy the pristine 2014 H-D TriGlide with only 3,300 miles on it, and then surprised him with our healing gift in front of his CVMA Brotherhood. Between the Marine Corps and the Army Reserves, Kevin had 19 years of service in when in 2003, at age 41, and in his last year before he was eligible for retirement, he was deployed to Kuwait to drive convoy supply missions into Northern Iraq and back. Life in a combat zone frayed every one of his nerves, affected his mental health, and physically compromised his already aging body, eventually forcing military retirement. Learn more about Kevin, his service and his strength in moving forward by clicking here.

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#28: NAVY RESERVIST KEVIN KUHN: As a child Kevin Kuhn of Abrams, WI admired the uniformed Veterans who walked his parade and knew he would be like them one day. In 2008 he joined the Navy and left for boot camp one week later. After completing his individual training as a SeaBee, he transitioned to the Navy Reserves for a home-life balance, learned to ride and bought his first motorcycle, and then deployed to Kuwait and Afghanistan six months later. His Battalion built Command Outpost Sanjaray in the midst of war, insurgents and primitive conditions. He returned home with debilitating back pain that he pushed through…and a deep depression that he ignored. It wasn’t until he learned of another deployment to Afghanistan in 2015 that he found himself happy again and excited for the structure and brotherhood he thrived in. His second year-long tour, however, aggravated his degenerative back disease and left him with a broken ankle and damaged sinuses that would cause sleep apnea and migraines for the rest of his years. Returning home, however, left him struggling even more as he bottled up memories and emotions and fell further into depression and suicide ideation. He rode as much as he could through it all, but it was connecting with Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA) that gave him the support and understanding he needed to continue pushing forward. With an Electra Glide that is unreliable and nearing its end of life, Kevin’s greatest fear is the breakdown that makes it his final ride and the loss of membership that would mean. As family needs, debt and a limited income do not allow Kevin to buy another bike, Hogs for Heroes stepped in…and we chose to keep this Veteran riding to support his mental health and commitment to serving in a different capacity. Read Kevin’s story here.

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#27: ARMY SERGEANT ZACH BAYS: Zach Bays of Berlin, Wi, dreamed of joining the Army for as long as he can remember. He enlisted at age 17, completed boot camp the summer before his senior year and left for advanced training school after graduating…but not before spending every day of his summer riding his new 500 Ninja sport bike. A Biomedical-Electronic Technician, Zack waited and hoped for his time to deploy. In 2007 he was sent Afghanistan for 15 months to fly around the country to inspect and attend to the medical equipment on bases. Medical equipment that was attached to injured Brothers and Sisters. Images and emotions quickly built a warehouse in Zach’s mind that affected his sleep, and caused him to become anxious, angry and depressed. Back in the states and unable to seek mental health support, he turned to his bike and rode to clear his mind of demons. He deployed again in 2010, this time to Iraq where he again attended to the equipment saving his families lives, and all the old memories and struggles mixed with the new and, at his lowest point, Zach found himself staring at his weapon in his room for four hours. He sought help, was quickly medivaced back to the states, and placed in a medical review evaluation to determine service continuation. Within a year he was medically retired with PTSD and returned home to Wisconsin with his wife to begin civilian employment. He floundered from job to job, saw his marriage dissolve, and had his bike stolen from his porch. He efforted on, but 17 jobs in 10 years left him unable to get another bike. In 2017 he met his current wife, and with her gentle support, Zach learned to communicate more, take up counseling and get another bike. He also learned to barber and started two Veteran-owned businesses. But when they learned their family would be expanding again, Zach sold his Harley for the minivan they needed, and although working steadily, has not been in a position to put a bike above his family’s needs. Hogs For Heroes felt that getting back on the road to continue his healing and celebrate his success was just what this Veteran needed. Read Zach’s story here.

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#26: STAFF SERGEANT JEREMIAH SCHROEDER: For lack of a better plan, Jeremiah Schroeder of Appleton, WI, joined the Marine Corps with a buddy in 2001. After successfully becoming a Firefighter and Crash Fire Rescue Specialist, he knew he had found his purpose and set his sights on a military career. Two deployments to Iraq later, a growing family and degenerative disc disease to his back with sciatic radiculopathy redirected his course to the Marine Reserves after 12 years active duty. Riding had helped him move through his mind’s conflict and provided a release from structured military life. However, relocating his family and starting anew required he sell his Harley in 2013 to buy a home: a hard loss he thought he’d correct after settling. In twists of fate that he couldn’t see coming, that change started a long line of broken plans, pain and anxiety, and a frustratingly long string of failed civilian jobs. While medical retirement in 2020 has provided him with some benefits, civilian life proved harder than imagined and, unfortunately, left him without a bike for the past nine years as he repeatedly put his family’s needs first. Hogs For Heroes felt that Jeremiah needed a positive turn in his life and selected him to receive the gift of wind therapy. Read Jeremiah’s story here.

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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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LEARN ABOUT PAST RECIPIENTS! Miss the stories of our past Recipients?  Catch them below by simply clicking on the Veteran’s name button.

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SUPER COOL NEWS: Once again, our Recipients came up with a way to express their appreciation for the healing gifts you made possible in their lives. In addition to the decals they previously made, they recently chose to have license plates that designate their gifting number for those who want them. Watch for WI motorcycle plates on the road that read H4H 1-22 (i.e. H4H 6), with hopefully more numbers to come. And please note, Hogs For Heroes does not ask Recipients to tag their beautiful bikes (or themselves) in any way. They choose to do it.

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