UPDATE: Due to predicted inclement weather this weekend, the CVMA PTSD Awareness ride will take place April 2.
Most people know someone with PTSD and understand how debilitating it can be on their loved one. One man understands the disorder from his own personal experience and wants to help others overcome.
Saturday, the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association will ride for a disorder Chapter President Joe “Freq” Garner said only other sufferers can understand, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The ride is the 3rd Annual CVMA Chapter 20-3 PTSD Awareness Poker Run. Garner said, “The sole purpose of this ride is to bring about awareness and to reduce the number of suicides that occur each day, not only in our local veterans community but throughout the nation. Our hope is to save veterans lives.”
“When I came back from ‘Nam, it wasn't a very welcoming experience for a lot of ‘Nam vets,” Garner said. “The country kind of made up for that over last 30 to 40 years. When I came back, the things that were negative were loud noises. I didn't like to wait in line for very long. I questioned everybody and everything…I had a very short fuse.”
Garner said his own PTSD symptoms worsened over the last 10 years, but he was self-aware enough to recognize his change and became proactive. “I told myself maybe I need to go talk to somebody and I finally did.” He said he took classes with vets from WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
“Sitting in those classes and listening to stories I could relate to helped me to understand you’re not a lone…When you have conversations, people start opening up and that's where the therapy is, in sharing.”
The ride, with registration starting at 9 a.m. at the Harley Davidson dealership in Pensacola, will benefit multiple veteran organizations, including the Equine Therapy Group, Volunteers of America, the Veterans Memorial Park Foundation, and Vets to VA.
Garner said, “In 2014, the first year for this ride we raised $1,800 for our veterans charities. Last year in 2015 we raised $2,000. Of course this year we hope to break last years’ record proceeds. Over the last five years since our chapter was first stood up, we’ve disbursed between $5,000 and $20,000 each year to our local veterans charities.”
Riders pay $15 and passengers pay $10. Kickstands go up at 10:30 a.m. The ride stops first at Cricket’s Hideout, goes to Lagerheads at Navarre Pier, then stops at Sandshakers. For more information, call John “Goose” Kidd at 313-2403 or email johnfkidd@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: UPDATE: Vets ride for PTSD moved to April 2