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 2022 riding season, this small family nonprofit put a total of 31 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 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 2022 alone, you returned NINE injured Veteran riders back to the road! That’s nine more lives fractured in service that will regain peace, freedom and control from riding. That’s nine more families who will benefit from their loved one’s healing gains. And that’s nine 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 2023 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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JUST ANNOUNCED: OUR LAST RECIPIENT OF 2022, #31, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD VETERAN JACOB SPANGENBERG. Master Sergeant Jake Spangenberg, of Neenah, WI, is our ninth and last Veteran recipient of the year. We are putting him back on the road with a beautiful Harley-Davidson Road King and making sure this Veteran keeps both the wind therapy his mind needs and the Brotherhood his heart craves, directly in his life. Jake has always loved, and needed, his sense of family. Having set his mind on a college education and the chance to support others, he joined the Guard as a Truck Driver for the tuition provided and the chance to be a part of something bigger. He pursued his education, eventually achieving a bachelors degree in Human Services and has worked as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor for the last eight years. Jake also had military career aspirations and pursued a 20-year path that allowed him to advance in rank and responsibility. While loading equipment on a drill weekend in 2003, Jake injured his back. Young and invincible, he rested it and continued living with pain until he was unable to walk and required emergency surgery for the two discs he herniated 14 years earlier. He deployed to Kuwait and Iraq for a year in 2005 and worked two very different roles during his time: Battalion Paralegal and Convoy Security. The later of the two placed him on random trucks that jarred his back relentlessly, on dangerous routes that left his mind reeling, and with soldiers who didn’t know him or trust the “Headquarters” guy. He returned home struggling and knew he needed a release; and that’s when he learned to ride. The 6’2” guy rode a Sportster 883 just for the chance to ride; and after a series of financial hits, he sold his bike to try and save his home. Jake continued with the National Guard until eventually retiring in 2017 as the State Chief Paralegal. It took him nine years to save for another bike– a 19 year old Electra Glide; and when he finally bought it in 2019, he had no idea just how impactful it would be in his next few rough years. Unfortunately its transmission went out early this year; and as the family is on a tight budget and unable to afford repairs or a replacement, Jake grew more despondent with the loss of riding. Hogs For Heroes felt this Veterans efforts to keep himself on a healing path, and support the healing needs of those he works with, would best be supported by putting him back on the road. Unique to this bike, it has been fully paid for by the fundraising efforts of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, and we will be gifting this bike at a TLW Member Willie Beamon’s Bar & Grill in Neenah, WI on August 28 at 11:00 am. Read Jake’s story here and catch his Gifting Ceremony details here.

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#30, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD VETERAN NICK BREWER GETS 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.

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WE PULLED AN UNSUSPECTING #29 OUT OF THE CROWD AND RODE THE TRIKE HE NEEDED TO STAY ON THE ROAD RIGHT UP TO THE STAGE!  Marine and Army Veteran 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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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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