Restoring patriotism
It’s the stories told in the parking lots of gas stations and diners about brave loved ones who’ve served our country that led to one huge idea.
Project Patriot Bikes, or PPB, a nonprofit charitable program designed to garner patriotism, was created by Vietnam veteran and Trussville area resident Terry Dailey who was inspired by these stories. Dailey restores and rebuilds motorcycles as a hobby, and his restored 2005 Harley Davidson Road King, named Old Glory, received so much attention that in February, Dailey realized it had abigger calling.
“I was so moved after the attention Old Glory was getting that I got the idea of putting the bike on display,” Dailey said. “But if you're going to do an exhibit, you need more than one bike. So, the idea started evolving. As I did events and saw the reaction, I wanted to do more and more. I knew the future of all this would be based on getting thenonprofit status.”
It took about four months to obtain the 501(c)(3) status that will help fund the project. Through private donations, PPB will be offered to businesses, city events, memorials, parades, bike rallies and otherpublic activities.
The Eagle, a 1991 Harley Ultra Classic, is his latest restoration project — one that has taken about six months to complete.
“Both the Eagle and Old Glory are built to be ridden,” Dailey said. “But I wanted each one to make their own statement.”
The Eagle is a little more basic than Old Glory, with its fairing featuring a bald eagle and the universal symbol of a fallen soldier: helmet, rifle and combat boots. It also features an angel’s wings in red, white and blue.
“When I bought it, I pretty much ended up tearing it down to its bare frame,” Dailey said. “It had 26 years of grease and grime on it, and it was a bigger job than I anticipated.”
With more than 90,000 miles on it, the bike needed its engine replaced which was a costly endeavor. While there are many other added costs with restoration projects, it typically costs about $10,000 to $15,000 to restore a bike, he said. Dailey learned a lot between the two builds, but in the future, all bikes will be in sound mechanical condition before their transformation, he said.
“It’s not the cost factor,” Dailey said. “I’m not in the fundraising business. I'm in the business of rebuilding and restoring bikes.”
Through word of mouth, Dailey has found events to display the bikes, including Montevallo’s recent American Village Memorial Day event, which was his largest to date. At these events, educational information about PPB, the value of the flag and facts about the U.S. military are available, along with a donation boot. The bikes were also displayed at the Alabama Gun Collectors Show in March and the Vietnam War Memorial in Fultondale last year.
With the major aim of PPB being to raise public awareness and patriotism, Dailey wants to do more than just attend events. One way he is doing this is through a flag program, where the public is challenged to find a local business with a tattered storefront flag. Residents can simply email a photo of the flag, along with the name and mailing address of the business, and Dailey will send a complimentary 3-foot-by-5-foot flag with instructions on how to properly dispose the old flag.
“One of my greatest accomplishments is to see our new flags flying at businesses around town,” Dailey said.
The second program is one geared toward schools and civic groups. Dailey visits local schools and gives a 10-15 minute presentation about the flag and its origin, symbolismand more.
Long-term goals for the PPB organization are to restore four more bikes — one for each branch of the military, Dailey said.
“And I don’t want to leave the Coast Guard out,” he said. “It’s a lofty goal because it will cost a lot of money.”
For more information, email info@projectpatriotbikes.org, go to the website projectpatriotbikes.org or find them on Facebook at Project Patriot Bikes.