OUR MISSION is to restore the freedom of two wheels on the open road to as many veterans as possible.
The freedom of the open road is an American tradition. Taking your favorite set of wheels out on the highway for a road trip is part of our country’s DNA. For those individuals who prefer that experience with one headlight and two wheels, experiencing the “wind therapy” of being on a motorcycle is incomparable to just about anything else on earth. Those who love it will tell you that losing the ability to ride is like losing part of your soul. Countless wounded veterans have returned from combat with physical injuries and impairments that have stolen their freedom to ride.
The Veterans Adaptive Motorcycle Program (VAMP) is a veteran-owned and operated
charity with a MISSION to restore the freedom of two wheels on the open road to as many
veterans as possible. We accomplish this by facilitating mechanical modifications to motorcycles according to each wounded veteran rider’s unique needs. This mission springs from an understanding that hitting the open road on a motorcycle can be one of the most healing and therapeutic experiences we can offer to those who live with the scars of war and the memories of tragedies and horrors that are unimaginable to most Americans.
“Losing the ability to ride is like losing part of your soul”
VAMP helps wounded veterans like Grady Bendel. Grady joined the Army in January of 2009 as a
Cavalry Scout and was immediately deployed to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Blackhawk in Afghanistan for his first tour with 8/1 Stryker Cavalry Squadron. They regularly patrolled the villages and areas around the town of Spin Boldak near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. On October 13, 2009, Grady was driving a Stryker combat vehicle that struck an improvised explosive device (IED) and he was severely injured, especially on his right leg. Grady was medically evacuated from Afghanistan and doctors were initially able to save his leg, but complications increased in the years following his injury and ultimately his leg was amputated in 2015.
Grady always loved motorcycles and he saved up to purchase his first when he joined the Army. After he was injured, he was unable to ride and his bike was stored in his garage until 2022 when Jack Stottlemire and VAMP reached out to Grady. VAMP worked with a local motorcycle shop near Grady’s home in Greensboro, NC to install the necessary parts for Grady to be able to ride with his prosthetic leg and get Grady’s bike back on the road. In addition to a full tune-up, new battery, and new tires, special adaptations on Grady’s bike include a special foot peg and brakes that help Grady ride comfortably and safely. Grady thought he would never ride on two wheels again until VAMP made it possible. Grady says that being on his motorcycle is therapy to him and that having his bike back has been life changing.