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| Motorcycle mogul Paul Teutul Sr, Orange County Choppers |
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| Best of friends: Paul Teutul Sr. and Noah Currier |
Over the Fourth of July weekend, I witnessed strength, courage, and resilience in action.
Woodstock Harley-Davidson hosted a bike run through McHenry County, pairing up Noah Currier, founder of the Oscar Mike Foundation, with Orange County Choppers founder Paul Teutul Sr. for a ride that was as unforgettable as it was inspiring. Veterans, civilians, and first responders gathered to support injured veterans – and enjoyed some fresh-air and country riding, too.
USMC veteran Noah Currier returned safely after serving his country in Iraq and Afghanistan, only to be involved in a car accident a mere couple of days later.
That accident would leave the Marine Corps gunner paralyzed.
Noah managed to navigated life as a quadriplegic, but when his fiancé was killed in yet another tragic car accident, Currier said his life spiraled out of control. It was when he found himself in the throes of the darkest of depressions with his life teetering in the balance, that his friends, who continued to stand by him, eventually involved him in athletics again.
Despite believing that sports had no place in his life anymore, his friends proved him wrong - -and he has never looked back. In fact, he just keeps pulling more and more into the light by keeping them On-The-Move.
Noah told me that being active again saved his life, but, what seems even more important is that he pays it forward a hundred-fold, and others’ lives continue to be saved through motion.
His courage in the face of adversity gave him the confidence to begin a company, which, in turn, lead to a foundation.
Today, the Oscar Mike brand is a noticeable fixture in the closets of both military and civilians alike – and on the streets. What began as an apparel company now employs and sustains injured veterans and has supported a foundation that gives hope to other injured veterans.
The Oscar Mike Foundation sponsors weekends at their compound where injured veterans partake in skydiving, flying planes, completing obstacle courses, and driving UTVs among other things. Noah said that if paraplegics, quadriplegics, and other injured veterans can accomplish these big things (and, let me tell you, you’ll never catch me skydiving or doing obstacle course races)… they can get dressed on their own, shower, and do life.
With a mission as incredible as that, it is only fitting that someone just as driven partnered with Noah. That man is Paul Teutul Sr.
Yes, Paul Sr., of Orange County Chopper fame saw Noah at a Spartan Race, was inspired by the drive and determination he saw, and forged a friendship with the young entrepreneur. That friendship spawned a tattoo, nearly daily bantering, and … an Oscar Mike motorcycle, to boot.
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| Friends who tattoo together .... |
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| Paul Teutul Sr.'s custom bike made for Oscar Mike |
I went. Cameras in tow.
It turned out that Paul Sr. and his girlfriend Joannie Kay were leading the inaugural Independence Ride to raise money for the Marengo-based Oscar Mike.
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| Joannie Kay and Paul Teutul Sr. |
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| Noah Currier drives a customized Vanderhall vehicle during the ride with Erin Clausen. |
Pretty cool, right?
I met some nice people, watched this man sign autographs and take selfies for some time, and thought I’d head out. When one of the WHD employees asked if I wanted an interview, I relented. Ten minutes later, I was sitting with Mr. Teutul in front of the Hall of Honor talking about the countryside and the agriculture McHenry County boasts. Did I admit that I’d never watched his show? Did I confess that I thought he was in California? Yep. But, he took it in stride. And – he seemed to enjoy talking about the ride. He couldn’t say enough about the Oscar Mike Foundation. He was kind (and so was his girlfriend who also sports an Oscar Mike tattoo). It was one of the nicest interviews I've had where I knew nothing about the topic at hand ~ and he made it enjoyable.
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| Photo credit: Patrick Kruse @ WHD |
By the way, Oscar Mike is military-speak for On-The-Move. Noah and his team make sure that they are constantly Oscar Mike – and they keep reaching more and more veterans, in hopes that that veteran suicide statistic I write about so often, declines.
Noah, I think your mission is incredible – and, Paul, Sr., thanks for giving an interview to The Woodstock Independent (see article here) reporter who didn’t have a clue how famous you were. Keep Oscar Mike, you two!
To support the mission and keep injured veterans Oscar Mike, visit: https://www.oscarmike.org/pages/foundation
To buy some pretty cool apparel *and* support injured veterans, visit: https://www.oscarmike.org/
If, like me, you don’t know anything about Paul Sr., Orange County Choppers, or the OCC Road House and Museum, visit: https://orangecountychoppers.com/
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| Someone drove one of the OCC's first bikes onto the Woodstock Harley-Davidson showroom floor and Paul Sr. reminisced about the process before he signed the early 2000's chopper. |
