Unstoppable

SPRINGTOWN — The crowd on the Springtown Square, who gathered on a Saturday afternoon in late June, oohed and aahed over the new side-by-side off-road vehicle built for Army veteran Travis Strong.

Strong lost his legs while serving in Iraq, but being disabled hasn’t stopped him from living an active life. Being gifted the side-by-side, modified to fit his needs, is proof of that.

Strong’s back was facing the new recreational vehicle as the tarp was removed, creating the element of surprise. When he turned around to see the unique creation, he smiled, and the crowd clapped and cheered.

The look of the vehicle is customized to Strong’s interests. It has a unique wrap that features infamous characters from scary movies — like Chucky from “Child’s Play,” Michael Myers from “Halloween” and the newer version of Pennywise from “It” — as well as Strong’s Army platoon shield on the hood. If Strong would’ve bought the side-by-side outright, it could’ve cost him between $25,000 and $30,000.

“This is way beyond,” Strong said after taking the side-by-side for a few rides around the square. “This is so cool.”

The Springtown business B&M Cycles, owned and operated by Brian and Meghan Johnson, partnered with the nonprofit organization Combat Hero Bike Build to build the side-by-side for Strong and host the unveiling ceremony, with the help of Frosty's Snowcones.

“I’m so happy for him,” Meghan Johnson said about Strong after the big reveal. She explained that being outdoors riding a motorcycle or recreational vehicle can be therapeutic and relieve stress for veterans.

Strong grew up in California, but he currently lives in Haslet. He has always enjoyed sporting activities as he played football in high school and raced dirt bikes, according to his profile on Combat Hero Bike Build’s website. Strong also always intended to join the military and did just that in 1997. He had been honorably discharged in 2000 but re-enlisted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. While stationed in Iraq in 2006, Strong’s mobile combat vehicle encountered a bomb, and he lost both of his legs.

“It was a pretty chaotic night,” Strong said, recalling the incident.

The bomb, specifically an explosively formed penetrator, took Strong’s right leg immediately, and he was bleeding out quickly. His team got him onto another Stryker vehicle and made the decision to break the rules to save Strong.

“They basically just took the Stryker, that one Stryker, and just drove, which you don't do that, especially in a combat zone,” he said, adding that the combat vehicles usually travel in groups, not alone. “It's very dangerous to leave and just go, but they did it. Because of that, I don't think I would have been here because of the quick reaction that they had.”

Strong was transferred to hospital after hospital as he came to terms with his injuries. Since then, recovery for him has meant getting active. He plays sled hockey and competes in obstacle course races and bike marathons. He even jumps out of airplanes, according to Combat Hero Bike Build’s website.

After his injury, Strong couldn’t imagine being as active in life as he is now. It took time for him to process his emotions and eventually meet people who were in a similar situation to him. One of the first activities he learned how to do post-injury was mono skiing, using a single ski, and he described how freeing that experience was for him.

“You're as equal as everybody else on the mountain,” he said about mono skiing.

When he was living in Colorado, Strong found out about Combat Hero Bike Build and was encouraged to sign up. About four years later, he found out he was picked to receive a recreational vehicle. Strong has ridden in quads before this, but having one modified to fit his needs will make driving it much safer for him, he said. Not having longer legs makes him more vulnerable to sliding out of place.

Strong’s side-by-side includes hand controls for the brakes and to accelerate forwards, handles so he can enter and exit the vehicle, five-point harnesses to keep him in place and the ability to take out the backseat to store his wheelchair, among other features, Meghan Johnson said. After seeing the vehicle, Strong said he planned to add a spinner knob to the steering wheel to help with turning.

In addition to safety, Strong said having the modified side-by-side is going to be fun.

“There's more freedom, more things that you can do,” he said.

Combat Hero Bike Build aims to give away six bikes or recreational vehicles per year, President and Logistics Coordinator Ken Dugas said. He explained that while Combat Hero Bike Build supports the projects financially, their success depends on finding people like the Johnsons to modify the vehicles.

“We're limited by, of course, resources, and we're not able to make this happen without people like Brian and Meghan willing to step up and donate their time and talents to make these beautiful custom machines that they do for the warriors,” Dugas said.

Combat Hero Bike Build also finds and screens applicants, who are typically “catastrophically injured combat veterans that can't go and just buy a motorcycle off the floor,” Dugas said. The recipients of these bikes and other recreational vehicles don’t get to see the finished product until the unveiling ceremonies.

“That’s the fun part,” Dugas said.

Combat Hero Bike Build has “bike” in its name for a reason; the organization usually focuses on motorcycles. Besides Strong, the nonprofit’s website only shows one other recreational vehicle with more than three wheels given out since 2014.

“This is the first side-by-side that they've done,” said Brian Johnson, who is a Navy veteran. “Being the way (Strong) is, it would be really difficult to get him on a motorcycle.”

Businesses who donated toward this effort were MK Homes, REI Electric, Woody Creek BBQ, Pojo Coffee Shoppe and Servolution Network, among several others, Meghan Johnson said.

Strong, who knew of Springtown before the unveiling ceremony but had never visited, said he felt humbled and grateful for the community helping him get his modified side-by-side. Even though people honor him for his service, Strong just thinks of his Army days as a job where he unfortunately got hurt.

“In (veterans’) minds, the ones who didn't make it are the true heroes,” he said.