06/12/2026
A deep salute to the brothers and sisters of the Lewiston CVMA Chapter 13-3 "Combat Vets." They rolled into the Brookdale Senior Living home to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the veterans there. When that patch shows up, everyone knows it’s a gathering of family.
They shared space with a 90-year-old Sailor who stood the watch in WWII. They met some incredible ladies whose eyes lit up at the sight of the bikes who couldnt resist climbing on— and a few who used to chase the horizon on their own two wheels back in the day.
And then, there was Bob.
Bob is a hospice veteran who hasn’t had the strength to sit up, let alone leave his bed, in over a year. But the low, familiar rumble of engines has a way of calling to a man's spirit. When Bob heard the Combat Vets were outside for him and his fellow brothers-in-arms, he threw off the covers. The fire inside him was suddenly burning hot.
They didn't just visit him behind four walls. They brought Bob out into the open air and settled him deep into a sidecar. He took a lap around the grounds, feeling the forgotten kiss of the wind against his face. But one lap wasn’t enough to satisfy a soul like Bob's. He asked for an extra turn around the blacktop, and the crew gladly opened the throttle to give it to him.
Looking around, there wasn't a dry eye among the nursing staff. Bob’s tank is running low, and the final horizon is coming into view—but on this day, he wasn't bound to a mattress. He was a free man with the wind in his hair, running full throttle right where he belonged: under the open sky with his brothers.
Hold on tight, Bob. The road ahead is wide open, and we're riding right there with you.
