I know I've touched on this subject on this blog.. and my main blog. But, I can't help but dwell on it as I deal with a situation tonight. Has my mind spinning around thinking about things.....
As I've said before, I've been riding about forty years. For the first 25 years or so, I was pretty relaxed about it all. Went to a few rallies.... lot of bars ... rode to work... was just .. a bike. Just a good time. Hell, during the summers I was usually in shorts and tennis shoes, while on 2 wheels. Relaxed.
Then around 2009 I got my first 'real' bike. Got a 2009 Indian Chief Vintage that was just ... different. It had a soul. It brought something out of me .. in me.. that I wasn't aware of. I loved this feeling I had on it; hard to explain. When I bought that bike, the factory signed me up with the Indian Riders Group. Still got that membership card somewhere. But, it meant nothing. What group? Where were the meetings? So, I rode with a small local group of friends ...and I loved it.
Around 2011 I joined the Iron Indian Riders Association. Initially, it also meant 'nothing.' Was just a membership card. I spent a lot of time on a forum learning about the history of the bike... the IIRA... and realized there was an annual gathering that I popped in on back in 2011. Then again a few years later. Began to get a feel for 'who was who' in it . Soon, had friendships, some of them pretty tight that still exist today. Even started a chapter here in East Texas. I loved the camaraderie but .. something was missing. I sometimes think it's because it wasn't well organized. After twenty years in the military, I craved this.
Over the years I'd become a Life Member of the VFW and American Legion, but hadn't gotten involved. I was aware they sometimes had riding groups within certain chapters but I never came across any first hand. So, I never 'connected' at that level. To this day, I'm not active enough in either, but try to support them monetarily as much as possible, because of the mission they serve for all veterans.
Around 2014/2015, I became aware of the Combat Vets. Saw a few here and there, but never any large groups. Had a conversation with one guy and he'd asked me a few questions and I realized I was qualified to join if I chose. Though I've never 'pulled a trigger' perse', I served in multiple combat areas, multiple conflicts/wars, received combat pay. Flew on Reconnaissance aircraft while receiving hostile fire. Flew as a sitting duck with enemy fighters a trigger away from downing our aircraft. I'd never really thought of myself as a Combat Veteran before that .. at least not in the 'truest sense'... but I was . I am. Well, around 2017 I finally made some progress, rode with the local chapter, and the rest as they say ... is history.
Let me stray from the conversation for a short while. While in the military, I served with a lot of folks. Not every one of the folks had their shit together. Not everyone was a 'good' person. Most were. Most did. I'm proud to have served with most. Point being, just because someone wore a uniform, doesn't give them a free pass. Maybe it's 90%... 95% .. 99% .. .99.9%.... that deserve kudos... but not 100% with anything; it's just a fact. It's life. Statistically, it's never 100%. Then, look at my last 24 years in the civilian world. True of the folks I work with . Most are really good folks. I've met some awesome people over the years. And along the way .. a few pieces of shit. Fact. Then look at my time in the IIRA. Most of the folks were really good people. But along the way, I've met a few 'winners' (not!) ... that have either moved on or I did. Fact. True of those in the Indian Motorcycle world as well at the Harley Davidson world.. .... hell , all manufacturers. Just because we ride the same brand, doesn't mean we are instant family. Okay .. enough of that.. back to the story.
Back in '18 I patched in to the CVMA. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was/is a Proud day for me. But, a conversation this evening got me to thinking about something that has crossed my mind often the last six months. That question is .. .why did I join? What was I looking for? What did I expect to accomplish? I've got to tell you ... not what many think. Was hard for me to come to grips with the fact. For the most part .. I simply want to ride. Ride with friends. Ride with my veteran brothers and sisters. And along the way, if given the opportunity, to help fellow vets along the way. Now what some may not like or understand .. in that order. That 'service' part to me, is the last thing on my mind... at least on a daily basis. I Love to RIDE. That's the whole point of the CVMA to me. It's a motorcycle association! I belong to the VFW and the Legion and lets be honest. As a whole, they do a LOT more for the veteran community. Fact. Now, why do I bring all this up? Well an incident that happened back in late 2022 got me looking deep inside at my values and why I was doing what I was doing. Had a coming to Jesus of sorts within myself. Made a few decisions. Reminded myself of what was important. Tonight I was in a discussion with someone that was upset the CVMA didn't do more to help vets. Wasn't 100% focused on it. Somehow felt the CVMA was supposed to have some miraculous hand in helping all that needed it. The person was actually upset non motorcycle riders couldn't be part of it. Wait .. what? Which part of CVMA did they miss? I'm convinced the person was simply ranting and lost sight of things either due to emotions or alcohol in the moment... but ... without kicking him in the balls, I wanted to say .... and I did to some point.... I just simply want to Ride. To me, that's the whole point.
I can sleep at night with that attitude. Hell, I believe in the last five years in our chapter, I've given more of my own time and funds to fellow veterans, First Responders locally , and other charities, than probably most. Probably more than the chapter itself (not the entity of members). So, I don't have a problem saying.... Fuck it ..Lets RIDE. Gotta be honest, I'm tired of the BS. Tired of the drama. I'm getting too old for this shit.....
One of my buddies said he needed to take some "meds" after that fiasco of a conversation (there were several of us in it). Me, I told him I was headed to my Blog for some relief from it all. And it allows me to think things through better sometimes.
Now my concern is ... what to do about the guy that got me to thinking about this all. He want's to bail. Want's to move on. My gut tells me not to let him, but it's not my call. I'll reach out tomorrow to see if he's calmed down .. but .. I'm not a social worker here. I'm not a miracle worker. I came to the table to have fellow vets to hang with and ride with. As I said, several of become close friends. Probably friends for life. But as I hinted at earlier. Not all. A common patch doesn't give anyone a free pass, and all organizations/groups have a few bad apples in the bunch. Nowadays, I simply try to keep my distance from the few idiots that we come across. But ... this guy isn't one of the bad apples. Sadly, I don't think he was here for the Riding. I'm not sure he's going to find whatever he's in search of..........here or anywhere else
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