Meet the Man Gifting Harley Davidson Motorcycles to Veterans

Unapologetic and clearly biased, my favorite veteran of all time will always be my father. Taking no well-deserved merit from any of the deserving men and women having selflessly served our country, I thank each and every one as a defender of our nation. The privilege of living life as an American citizen, defended and protected by many of the greatest American citizen commands relentless gratitude. We thank you for your service. Harley-Davidson believes that every American should be able to experience the profound freedom of motorcycle riding, especially those who risk their lives to protect our freedom. To show its appreciation and support for military personnel, Harley-Davidson has partnered with Adam Sandoval, founder of ScootinAmerica, and the Wounded Warrior Project for a cross-country ride where they will give away new motorcycles to eight lucky veterans. Adam recently spoke with niecyisms and nestlings to about this project—MISSION: THANK YOU, meet the man gifting Harley Davidson motorcycles to Veterans.

This editorial content is being provided in partnership with SoFluential. We received no financial compensation for sharing this charitable cause.

Show Some Love for Military Veterans

Veteran Shane Kruchten, pictured above, was the first recipient on the MISSION: THANK YOU tour and was honored at a ceremony in San Diego in May. This summer Adam Sandoval is hitting the road with Harley-Davidson for a cross-country ride to honor those who have served and give away bikes to eight lucky vets.

We're fascinated by this most worthy cause. Can you share a little backstory about how your journey began?

Adam- I hit the road in November 2014 with my Chihuahua, Scooter, to visit every Harley-Davidson dealership in the lower 48 states to raise awareness and money for our military and their families. A lot of bikers are veterans, and riding is sort-of wind therapy, especially for those with PTSD. Scooter and I rode over 80,000 miles during our two-year journey, raising $300,000 in donations in the process.

Giving us a bit of insight, how do you describe MISSION: THANK YOU?

Adam- Scooter and I are hitting the road with Harley-Davidson to thank those who have protected our freedom. We’ll be honoring a total of eight deserving members of the military with a free motorcycle powered by the new Harley-Davidson Milwaukee Eight Engine. I think this might be the most impactful trip of my life.

Adam is an avid H-D rider, and he and his chihuahua Scooter have crossed the country in support of military vets. His ScootinAmerica initiative has raised awareness for several veterans organizations, and he’s honored to partner with Harley-Davidson to bring relief to more riders. He understands that riding can be a relaxing, restorative hobby for vets, especially for those suffering from PTSD.

Anyone can nominate an active military member or veteran to MISSION: THANK YOU by submitting their story of sacrifice, strength and courage to missionthankyou.com. Adam will be part of the group reviewing and selecting deserving patriots for the award. 

Seemingly, this is a match made in heaven, how did you initially choose to partner with Harley-Davidson on MISSION: THANK YOU?

Adam- Harley-Davidson does so much for our veterans and active military. For example, they offer the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy New Rider Course at a discounted rate for military personnel and first responders and their spouses. There’s also Operation Extend the Ride, which extends factory warranties by the number of days you’re deployed. As a Harley-Davidson rider myself, it was an obvious choice to partner with them for a cause I’m so passionate about.

There's plenty of interest in supporting the cause, tell us how we can get involved with MISSION: THANK YOU?

Adam- Folks can go to my website, AdamSandovalRides.com, until early November to nominate deserving military personnel. They can even nominate themselves! A panel consisting of representatives from the Wounded Warrior Project, veterans working at Harley-Davidson and myself will select seven more military members to surprise with a new motorcycle this summer and fall, with the final bike being awarded in New York City on Veterans Day prior to the world’s largest Veterans parade. I also urge everyone to listen to the stories of any veterans they know, follow my ride on social media and share the mission with their friends. 

As the owner of this site, niecyisms and nestlings, I am compensated to provide my opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. This blog may contain affiliate links. Even though, as the writer/owner of this site receiving compensation for posts or advertisements, I will always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs or experiences on those topics or products. This site abides by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in the honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The views and opinions expressed on this site are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.