VIDEO: Black Hills FOX – Veterans Charity Ride lets vets decompress from post-war life

​By Katrina Lim
Bikers from the Veterans Charity Ride reached their final destination in Sturgis on Saturday.

​Black Hills FOX Reporter Katrina Lim takes us to the welcome party at the local Indian Motorcycle dealership.

The 3rd annual Veterans Charity Ride, or VCR, provided veterans a chance to use motorcycle therapy as a way to relax from the challenges of post-war life.

VCR riders started in Los Angeles and stopped at eight additional cities on their journey.

Army Veteran Joshua Stein lost both his legs in 2006 while serving in Iraq.

And he says riding a motorcycle as an able-bodied person is not much different than riding as an amputee.

Joshua Stein says, “It’s really all in the mind. Yeah physically, there are different things you have to change up here and there, but I mean riding’s riding. Once you’re on the back of the bike and you’re going, you forget about the no legs, you forget about your injuries, you forget about your stress and problems. It’s you and the motorcycle and the world, the country.”

Stein also says riding a motorcycle is a great reason for veterans to get up and moving.

Joshua Stein says, “The importance of this ride is to get veterans out. Get them out off the couch. Get them out of the house. Come explore the country on the back of a motorcycle. That’s the way the country should be seen, is on the back of a bike.”

VCR Founder Dave Frey says many veterans struggle after serving in the military.

Dave Frey says, “The major issues are post-traumatic stress along with anxiety and that feeling that they don’t want to be out with other people because of civilians or they think civilians don’t understand. TBI which is traumatic bring injury is something that’s on the very top of the list from concussions, from mortars, from bomb blasts.”

If you would like to learn more about the VCR or donate, visit veteranscharityride.org.

Source: http://www.blackhillsfox.com/content/news/Veterans-Charity-Ride-lets-vets-decompress-from-post-war-life-438795003.html