Bill Sykes' Newsletter from America.
(October 2001)
David Barr - An American Hero
An American friend, Mr. David Barr, a fellow
Californian, who's exploits have never been fully recognized
for their heroism both under fire and later in his remarkable
journey, as a disabled veteran, of 83,000 miles traveled
during a three and a half year period upon a Harley Davidson
motorcycle around the world.
What is so heroic about this person one may say, well read
on dear friends.
Dave is a native of Los Angeles and to the best of my knowledge
currently lives in a small town named Bodfish in Northern
California.
In June of 1969 at the youthful age of seventeen David
joined the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam as a Helicopter
Crew Chief and door gunner on a Huey Helicopter gunship.
Dave received 57 Air Medals for missions flown in Vietnam.
In 1972 he separated from the Marine Corps but could never
settle down to civilian life as he always had an inner feeling
of adventure and the desire to fight for an ideal, so in
1974 he went to Israel, (a place where I had served with
British Armed Forces some twenty plus years earlier), and
joined Israeli Airborne Forces for a couple of years.
Back in the United States, wanderlust again took over and
he took off for Rhodesia were he served in a Commando Unit
of the Rhodesian Forces eventually to journey south to serve
two years with the 44th Parachute Brigade of the South African
Army.
On the 29th of August 1981 Dave was on a mission in southern
Angola with the South African Defense Force and whilst traveling
in a non-armored light vehicle, an anti tank mine exploded
under the vehicle and he was propelled skywards above the
vehicle which was enveloped in a raging ball of fire.
This violent episode cost Dave the loss of both legs.
In December of 1982 Dave returned home to California deeply
concerned as to how his family would react to the loss of
both his legs.
He was reunited with his 1972 Harley Davidson, (which he
had owned for ten years), and came up with a decision,
"What better than to circumvent the globe on his
faithful old motorbike in order to illustrate to the World
that disability was not the end of life but just the beginning".
So he formed the Dave Barr Foundation (A non-profit organization),
to assist the disabled, particularly the war veterans of
this world who needed their Government's help in their rehabilitation.
Dave's Journey took him three and a half years, during
which he covered 83,000 miles as a lone rider.
He crossed the Sahara Desert, the Nambi and Gobi Deserts,
and negotiated the mighty Andes of South America during
the winter avalanche season.
Dave is the first person with a major disability to circle
the world, north to south and east to west, alone on a motorcycle.
This is a record of an individual's amazing courage and
fortitude under the most difficult conditions imaginable.
During his trip around the world he stopped off in Britain
and visited each and every one of Group Captain Cheshire's
Homes for the Disabled in an effort to raise funds and indicate
to the occupants of those homes that even though they may
not have a whole body they must not despair and must make
every effort to regain peace of mind, self esteem, and the
capability to overcome their handicaps.
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An
American Hero - Part I
