The evening of Aug. 18 will come with an impact, as The Rolling Barrage (TRB) coast-to-coast motorbike rally cruises down Veterans Way in Okotoks.
Sponsored by Military Minds Inc., the 11-day rally is in support of veterans, serving military members, and first responders as a show of strength and unity to conquer the stigma of PTSD.
Military Minds provides service online to more than 135,000 people around the world, said Cpl. Scott Casey, president of Military Minds and founder of TRB.
Casey said he came up with the idea for The Rolling Barrage in 2016, and with the inaugural run in 2017 taking the riders from Newfoundland to Victoria, B.C.
“Essentially, it’s a fundraiser, but it’s also community building,” he said. “So we have veterans, first responders, and serving members and their families, and just people who support those people, come out and enjoy the ride festivities.”
Coming from Saskatoon in the morning, the Barrage is expected to drive down Veterans Way around 5:30 p.m., arriving at The George for 6:30 p.m. for dinner and a meet-and-greet with the public.
While raising money is a primary goal of TRB—in order to launch and maintain programs under the Military Minds banner—it also focuses on the community of veterans, serving military members, and first responders.
Supporting the concept of brotherhood, which Casey said is significant in any healing, the Barrage is open to all riders and is not just military in nature; instead, civilian riders are openly invited as a way to show support.
Riding a motorcycle isn’t required, said Casey, just showing up and supporting the troops is all it takes.
Supporting the event can look a number of different ways, said Casey, from cash donations to donating items, to coming out to show support the day it takes place.
“It’s about coming out, you know, that’s a good feeling to ride into a community and have people lining the streets,” he said. “That says so much right there.”
A veteran himself, Casey served 10 years in the forces as an infantry soldier, and completed a tour of duty in former-Yugoslavia.
Supporting PTSD awareness has a personal edge to it, said Casey.
“I lived with it for years, and I still do. PTSD is something that never goes away, you just learn to manage it” he said. “From my tour, 14 of the (250) guys I served with have committed suicide…
“It’s a pretty staggering number.”
Entering its third year, TRB has raised over $50,000 for PTSD awareness and support, and this year they will be donating to different organizations along their journey.
As they pass through Alberta, TRB will be donating $5,000 to the Sheepdog Lodge—a rustic cabin retreat for combat veterans and first responders.
Coming to Okotoks during the third year of the event comes from shaking it up and keeping it fresh for everyone.
“There’s only so many ways to get across Canada, we’re not a myriad of roads like the United States, so we have to try and jazz it up for people so they don’t get bored,” he said. “We’re trying to touch the communities all the way across.
“We don’t want to just rely on the same cities over and over again, we want to be able to touch the hearts of people in other communities as well.”
Casey said while it is a fundraiser and raising money is important, what he considers most important is people coming out in support.
“This is about community, and it’s bringing Canadians out to support our troops and our first responders. You know, the ones that are running into danger while we’re running away,” he said. “I think it’s important they know how much we’re behind them.”
He said supporting troops and first responders is easier when there are serious incidents, but not necessarily the time in between.
“When there are serious incidents everybody comes out, but what abut the regular, average day that goes on?” he said. “It’s good to be able to show that kind of love and respect towards our sheepdog community.”
For more information or to make a donation, go to therollingbarrage.com or okotoks.ca.
