​Ermin Husidic, Senior Airman (E4) US Air Force

​Ermin Husidic was born and raised on a farm in Bosnia. In 1999, at 13 years-old, his family moved to the US to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Ermin spoke no English when he arrived and spent most of his eighth grade and the first two years of High School learning to read and write English. Ermin was a good student, always interested in learning and he wanted to ensure he went to college. This left little time for other activities.
Like many boys, Ermin had two dreams growing up; playing sports or being a soldier. He searched the branches of the military and spent time talking with recruiters to see if this was the right thing for him. In 2004 he chose to join the Air Force because he wanted to do his part for the country, continue with school and train to become a pilot.
Because Ermin wasn’t a US citizen when he joined the Air Force, he couldn’t get security clearance, therefore the jobs available to him were few. He chose Vehicle Operations. He did his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and went to tech school at Ft Hood in Missouri. He deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ermin enjoyed his time in the military. He said “I had the privilege of serving with some of the best people in the world and making lifelong friends”. In 2008 Ermin separated from the Air Force. The transition to civilian life was much harder than he thought it would be and it took a very long time for him to completely transition. Ermin continued with school and earned his MBA. “Even after several years of being a civilian, there are many aspects I miss about the service; the friendships, camaraderie, the people I worked with, and little things, like wearing the uniform and blousing my pants.”

Ermin always wanted to ride and it finally took his wife signing him up for the motorcycle safety course to get him riding. From the first moment he sat on the bike he was hooked. Ermin said,“For me, riding is the most relaxing activity I do, even more than fly fishing (which is my passion). Riding has been a great way for me to release tension and anxiety.”

Ermin learned about VCR from a friend and he helped the VCR group last year when we had lunch in Hill City on our way to Sturgis. Ermin said, ’It was obvious to me that this was a great organization that really helped our veterans. I am most looking forward to spending time with my fellow veterans, sharing stories and creating new memories with my brothers and sisters.

Now a US citizen, Ermin lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with his wife, Marissa, the woman of his dreams, and their two dogs, Coco and Oreo. We look forward to having Ermin show us his favorite Black Hills rides.