Newport
But one in particular, the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association of the Upper Valley, has been making a big impact since it formed as a chapter about two years ago.
The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, commonly referred to as CVMA, is a national organization with the motto “Vets helping vets.”
There are 18 full members (veterans who can verify combat service in the armed forces and own/operate a motorcycle of at least 500 cc), one support member (veterans who served in the armed forces but did not deploy to a combat zone) and three auxiliary members (the spouses of full members).
“Our association feels that if you served, if you put your life on the line; there’s no probation period,” said Justus Keith, secretary for the Upper Valley CVMA chapter.
While the group involves motorcycling, it stresses that it is not a motorcycle club. While the members have a common interest — motorcycles — that connects them, the real mission is to support veterans who need assistance. They also support active-duty members of the armed forces.
Every year, they have a motorcycle ride called Phillip’s Ride that raises money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and to raise awareness of suicide, which affects combat veterans and civilians alike.
For the last two years, the CVMA has been involved with the nonprofit organization Sullivan County Cares for Troops, which was founded by Newport resident Tammy Freckleton in October 2015.
Freckleton started the organization after her son, a Marine, deployed.
“He called me one day and told me not to send him any more care packages, and I asked him why,” Freckleton recalled. The reason? Others he served with weren’t getting care packages, so Freckleton said she’d send them some too.
“He gave me some names to send packages to,” Freckleton said. Soon, word of what she was doing spread. “Next thing we knew businesses wanted to help us.”
Since its founding, Sullivan County Cares for Troops has sent out 891 individualized care packages to members of the armed forces. Freckleton stresses that the work would not be possible without help from area American Legion posts and groups that include a chapter of Rolling Thunder based in Claremont. The mission of Rolling Thunder is to educate the public about American POWs who were left behind and Americans who are MIA, in addition to supporting veterans.
“They’re some of our big organizations that stay on track with us, which is really nice,” Freckleton said. “The combat vets have been really incredible.”
The packages are sent out in July.
“Everybody thinks of the troops at Christmas,” Freckleton said. “In the middle of the summer, no one thinks of them.”
While the items in the care packages — including reading and writing material, games and decks of cards, snacks and toiletries — are donated, the organization must pay for shipping, which can really add up. The 150 packages that were sent out this past July cost $2,200 to ship.
The Upper Valley CVMA, through its national association, donated $4,000 to Sullivan County Cares to help with shipping costs.
“It’s very important to us,” Keith said. “As combat vets, we understand the value of receiving those care packages.”
The Upper Valley CVMA also helped out at Sullivan County Cares for Troops’ annual Children’s Christmas Corner, which takes place at Richards Elementary School at the same time as the annual Holiday Craft Fair Bazaar. Children spend $5 to shop from an array of donated gifts for their family members with the help of volunteers.
“The kids get to shop, and then that money goes toward our shipping costs,” Freckleton said. Each package costs about $14 to ship.
Freckleton receives names and addresses of armed forces members from a variety of different groups. Her son still provides her with names.
“He actually told me, about six or seven months ago, he told me he was proud of me. To have your kid proud of you is a pretty incredible thing,” Freckleton said. “To think that a thought in my mind came out to be something like this is amazing.”
It’s a cause that the Upper Valley CVMA will continue to support. In addition to raising money for other nonprofit organizations, CVMA also helps veterans get assistance that they need, from heating assistance to transportation to medical appointments.
“That’s what it’s about,” Keith said. “Helping those who don’t have enough to get by.”
Keith described some veterans as being reluctant to acknowledge that they need help and to accept it once it’s offered. But when the help comes from other veterans, hey’re more receptive.
“We need to make sure the veterans are taken care of,” Keith said, adding that if CVMA cannot assist a veteran with a particular need, they will help connect a veteran with someone who can. “There’s help, but there never seems to be enough.”
That’s something organizations like Upper Valley CVMA hope to change.
“Anyone who is facing tough times knows who to ask,” Keith said.
Editor’s note: For more information about the CVMA Upper Valley chapter, visit cvmauppervalley.com, call 603-558-3941 or email cvmauppervalley@gmail.com. For more information about Sullivan County Cares for Troops, visit www.facebook.com/SCCTroops. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
