Jay Leno and White Heart Team Up to Surprise a Deserving Veteran

Every now and again we get an opportunity to give one of our heroes a gift that he or she will never forget.

In early December, one of our Ride to the Flags sponsors contacted Dave and Sue Frey from Veterans Charity Ride (a program that White Heart fiscally sponsors) about a Can-Am Spyder that they had and wished to donate to the foundation for an injured veteran’s use.

Dave and I searched for the perfect candidate, and with a little help from one of our warriors, we found Marine Sgt. Richard Silva (ret). 

Richard enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2004 and was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq where he spent months in hostile combat situations.  On July 30th, Silva and his men triggered an IED blast while traversing in Humvees, killing a fellow Marine.  Three weeks later, Sgt. Silva and his Marine brother, Cpl. Powers, were attacked by mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, and relentless enemy fire.  Cpl. Powers made the ultimate sacrifice that day, and Richard was critically wounded from the shrapnel.

Silva was medically evacuated and returned stateside as the only survivor from his unit.

In 2008, Silva retired as a Purple Heart recipient and Bronze Star nominee.

Before his injury, Richard was an avid motorcyclist but after nearly two dozen surgeries to repair his damaged leg, Silva had to face the fact that he would not be able to ride on two wheels again.

In partnership with Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys and the Veterans Charity Ride, White Heart teamed up with Jay Leno to give Richard a surprise he’ll never forget.

Thank you for your sacrifice, marine.