Mutt, the giant cane corso, would be riding shotgun alongside Jarrett Hunt during the 18th-Annual Victory for Veterans Memorial Ride if Hunt had his way.
The service dog lay panting happily at his companion Hunt’s feet late Sunday morning as thousands of bikers waited to take off on the popular North Township fundraiser. Since Hunt, 40, is just now returning to life after almost breaking under the weight of post-traumatic stress disorder, a sidecar for his bike isn’t in the budget right now.
But Hunt, of Merrillville, and Mutt were just as psyched to see off Hunt’s girlfriend, Jen Brown, and other friends ride for them.
“Without (Mutt), I would’ve never admitted I even had a problem, so a sidecar for him will happen, just not yet,” Hunt said. “If it weren’t for him, I’d have either gone homeless or (committed suicide).”
The unofficial count for Sunday’s ride, according to North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan, was 2,100 registered bikes with 2,700 people riding. Based on the time it took for all the bikes to pass through Wicker Memorial Park’s west exit, though – 35 minutes – the number of riders easily exceeded that count.
One of them, Mike Zaerhing, a Dyer native who now lives in Germantown, N.C., made the 101/2 hour trip home to participate.
“I woke at 5 a.m. (Saturday) and told my wife, ‘See you Monday,’ and she said ‘Where you going?’ I told her Highland, and she said, ‘Why on Earth would you go to Highland?'” Zaerhing said. “I told her I was doing this ride here.”
The sheer numbers of people who come out to celebrate veterans never fail to affect Mrvan.
“We’re not here to show off our bikes; we’re here to show gratitude for those who served and gave us our freedoms,” Mrvan said, bringing up fallen soldier U.S. Army Spc. Joe Hernandez as an example. “This ride shows we’ll never let anyone divide us, and that our actions have to prove bigger than ourselves.”
Mrvan’s father, State Sen. Frank Mrvan Jr., said that the ride, “praises veterans for their patriotism.”
“As soldiers, you learn you have to watch your buddies’ backs. You guys are doing a great job,” Mrvan Jr. said.
Glen Karwick, a U.S. Army veteran from Hammond, got to bring his own special cheerleader during his second-ever ride — his daughter, Alex, 9. Karwick said he brought Alex along because once she learned about veterans in school, she put two-and-two together and realized her dad was one himself.
“She’s really big about them now,” Karwick said.
More interested in sprucing up the picnic table at which they were sitting while waiting for the ride to start, however, Alex did profess her love of motorcycles and veterans.
“I at least want to wait until I’m 11 or 12 to get one, though,” she said. “Go vets!”
Proceeds from this year’s ride will benefit the East Chicago Housing Authority’s four-unit veterans’ shelter; creating a Junior ROTC program for the School City of East Chicago; and further enhancements to the Wicker Memorial Park Veterans Flame memorial at the corner of Ridge Road and Indianapolis Boulevard, Trustee Mrvan said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.