America Is the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. Harley’s Heroes™ Honors
the Men and Women Who Made it That Way
March 5, 2007, Daytona, Florida --Thanks to the generosity of a $1 million pledge
from the Harley-Davidson Foundation, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Mobile
Service Offices (MSOs) will soon embark on the 2007 Harley’s Heroes™ Tour. The 2007
tour will include stops throughout the U.S. including over one hundred Harley-Davidson
dealerships where benefits assistance will be offered to veterans of all ages in
communities where they live.
The mission of the Harley’s Heroes™ Tour is to provide access to benefits for all
veterans and show appreciation for their service and sacrifice to our country. While
on the 2007 tour, the DAV MSOs will provide benefits counseling to those veterans
who suffer from service-connected injuries but may never have filed a claim for
benefits or have found it difficult working with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The 2007 Harley’s Heroes™ Tour officially kicked-off on March 5 as part of Daytona
Bike Week where thousands of motorcycle-loving veterans were drawn to Daytona, Florida.
The DAV Mobile Service Office has been designed with Harley’s Heroes™ graphics so
Harley riders can easily identify and locate it. The MSO will be staffed by highly
trained DAV National Service Officers, all of them wartime disabled veterans.
“In the truest sense of our mission to build better lives for disabled veterans
and their families, the Harley’s Heroes Tour will enable the DAV to reach a greater
number of veterans, better serving them and their families.” said Arthur H. Wilson,
National Adjutant of the 1.3-million-member DAV. “Many of our youngest veterans
are unaware of the benefits they have earned. Informing those veterans of their
rights will be the single most important task of the DAV during the 2007 Harley
Heroes Tour.”
Many of the veterans who need the free help the DAV will provide through the 2007
Harley's Heroes Tour are among the 1.4 million who have already fought in Iraq and
Afghanistan. According to data released by the VA, 25% of those veterans have already
filed claims for benefits.
“The Harley’s Heroes tour will introduce even more veterans to the benefits they
are entitled to receive,” said Gail Lione, President of the Harley-Davidson Foundation.
“The overwhelming response of Harley-Davidson dealers signing up to participate
reflects the commitment our dealers and riders have for the veteran community.”
The 1.3 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded
in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled
veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s
disabled veterans and their families. To make a donation, visit the organization’s
donation site
www.HarleysHeroes.org.
The Harley-Davidson Foundation, Inc. was established in 1993. Harley-Davidson, Inc.
utilizes this non-profit organization to support the communities in which the Company
has facilities. The majority of the Foundation's investments are in the areas of
education and community revitalization with funds also supporting programs in arts
and culture, health, the environment, and national veterans initiatives. For more
information, visit
www.harley-davidson.com.