HOULTON, Maine — For members of the United Vets Motorcycle Club of Houlton, there are no greater joys in life than hopping on a bike to hit the open road or helping a fellow veteran in need.
So when those two elements come together in the form of the third annual Wounded Heroes Ride, it is the best of both worlds.
On Sunday morning, about 70 riders gathered at the American Legion Chester L. Briggs Post No. 47 in Houlton to complete a roughly 90-mile motorcycle ride to benefit the Wounded Heroes Program of Maine.
The group rode from the Legion Post to Danforth, through Haynesville, over to Wytopitlock and back to the Legion. Participants came from across Aroostook County to take part, including a motorcycle officer from the Caribou Police Department.
According to its website, the Wounded Heroes Program of Maine is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization established to support wounded veterans when they return home after being injured in the line of duty.
“Once released from service due to injury, they no longer get paid. Waiting for their disability claim to be processed will take at least a year, and the majority of the time much longer. During this difficult time of transition, the expenses of daily life can become overwhelming, as they are unable to work and need ongoing medical/mental health care. Wounded Heroes provides a safety net by paying rent, utilities, phone bills, heating fuel payments and more. Wounded Heroes also provides benefits guidance and advocacy so that our veterans do not have to navigate the systems on their own. We are proud to be there for our service members in their time of need,” according to the website.
The program was formed in 2008 by Pam Payeur, after her son Mike was wounded during a tour of duty in Iraq and found it difficult to get the medical attention he needed once he was no longer on active duty.
“This ride is a chance for us to meet so many awesome people,” Payeur said. “Everyone thinks a small town can’t possibly generate as much (money) as some of the big cities, but this event proves that wrong. This ride has surpassed anything that many of the bigger groups have done.”
Last year’s ride generated $10,000 for the program — the highest total in the three years of the ride. This year’s ride was a bit smaller, due to the threat of rain and thunderstorms, but still managed to bring in more than $6,000.
“The bugs might be bigger up here, but so are the people’s hearts,” Payeur said. “This has been such an awesome event.”
“People always talk about ‘Boston Strong,’ well I’ll tell you we are ‘County Strong,’” said Paul Graham, president of the motorcycle club. “The great thing is, all of the money stays right here in Maine. That is why we do this. They have helped out with funeral expenses for vets right here in Aroostook County.”
Membership in the United Vets Motorcycle Club is not limited to just veterans, Graham said. “But you do have to know what one is,” he added.
Following the ride, participants, and members of the public, gathered for a spaghetti feed at the Legion post, which also included an auction. All of the proceeds helped the Wounded Heroes Program of Maine.
For more information on the Wounded Heroes of Maine program, visit http://www.woundedheroesmaine.org/.
