The veteran lost his hand in combat and hasn’t been able to ride a motorcycle since.
Army Veteran David Sterling said he’s excited to get back to a hobby he loves after so many years.
Combat Hero Bike Build said the motorcycle they’re giving to Sterling is worth close to $70,000.
David Sterling said, “gratitude is gratitude, but there’s no way to put into words what it means.”
Sterling served in the US Army in Afghanistan, and had to have his right hand amputated after the vehicle he was in was hit with a grenade.
Combat Hero Bike Build’s President John Barker said, “he received the Silver Star out of this incident, and the Purple Heart. His lieutenant got injured. He lost his arm, shrapnel in his face, his back, his legs, and in his neck.”
Sterling survived, fortunately and once he returned from combat, he tried to be as self-sufficient as possible, even without his hand.
But there were still certain things Sterling couldn’t do, like riding motorcycles with his wife.
That’s where Combat Hero Bike Build came in.
The organization runs mainly through donations and gives wounded veterans custom bikes at no cost.
Barker said, “when we started out we’d do one bike a year because that’s all the money we had. Now, we’re up to five or six bikes a year across the United States. This will be the first unveiling in Medford.”
Thunderstruck Custom Bikes in Medford has been working with the organization for 10 years and they will unveil Sterling’s bike at their show this weekend.
Sterling said he’s incredibly grateful for all their hard work.
“They do amazing work, and that kind of stuff isn’t free,” Sterling said, “it takes money and energy and time and effort and so there’s a lot of hands involved making this possible and making this dream come true.”
Sterling said he wants to inspire other veterans who have suffered similar injuries.
He wants to prove that there are plenty of ways to overcome those obstacles.
“Being independent and being able to do things for yourself and not rely on other people is big for me,” Sterling said, “especially because a debilitating injury, a lot of people think their life would end at that point if something like that happened to them.”
Thunderstruck Custom Bikes will be unveiling Sterling’s bike at their show Saturday at the Rogue Regency Inn.
The show starts at 1 p.m. and runs until 3 p.m.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.