thedrifter
04-27-08, 07:37 AM
Motorcycle stunt demonstration in Twentynine Palms aims to reduce deaths among Marines returning from deployment
By JOE VARGO
The Press-Enterprise
TWENTYNINE PALMS - The riding was extreme, the weather sunny, the crowd appreciative and the message life-and-death.
A group of professional motorcyclists, including Riverside native Tony Carbajal, put on a stunt show Saturday at the Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center that included all the tricks no one should ever perform on a highway.
The demonstration included wheelies, stoppies (riding on the front wheel of the motorcycle while the rear one is airborne), riding backwards, upside down and with no hands.
Extreme? Definitely. Dangerous? Possibly. But all the stunt riders did their magic wearing helmets, spine protectors, gloves, boots and uniforms made of high-tech, shock-absorbing materials.
That was really the point, that safety matters, and riders should wear proper gear and know their limits when they fire up their bikes.
The military takes such safety demonstrations very seriously, said Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Cox.
Nineteen Marines were killed last year while riding on motorcycles, the deadliest year in the last several, according to Corps officials.
Teaching safety is such a priority that all Marines and other U.S. troops returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan receive a mandatory briefing about taking it easy while riding motorcycles and other extreme toys like off-road vehicles. Among some circles it's known as the "don't be stupid" lecture.
All Marines at Twentynine Palms who own motorcycles must pass a competency test before they can ride on base.
Military commanders say the deaths are largely the result of boredom, bonus pay that can top $20,000 and $30,000, and adrenalin to burn off after troops return from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Carbajal, 21, said Marines and motorcycles can make a bad mix.
"Lots of them like to ride but they don't have a lot of experience and they don't know a lot about proper riding gear," Carbajal said last week as he practiced for Saturday's show in the parking lot of a Riverside church. "The next thing you know, they're getting hurt or killed."
Marines aren't alone among American military dying while riding.
In 2006, 77 Army soldiers died while riding.
In the first five months of that year, five U.S. Air Force personnel were killed, prompting the service to begin a motorcycle-riding mentorship program.
More servicemen died in motorcycle accidents from 2001 to 2006 than were killed in the corresponding first five years of the war in Afghanistan.
In recent years, news stories across the country relate the tragedy of soldiers and former soldiers, many combat veterans, killed while riding. Those include:
A 22-year-old Marine from Camp Pendleton killed in August while riding at an "unsafe speed" near Julian.
A Marine corporal killed in a motorcycle wreck on an interstate highway near San Diego in August. He was going more than 100 mph when he crashed into a sedan.
A 24-year-old Marine killed in March near Tulsa, Okla., a month after returning from a combat deployment.
A 26-year-old Marine killed near Vero Beach, Fla., in late 2005 after returning from an overseas deployment.
Saturday's show drew an estimated 14,000 Marines and members of the public.
Marine Pfc. Corey Spann, 25, of Holladay, Tenn., said the show reminded him of his Yamaha 150 dirt bike back home.
"I love to see all the different styles of riding," Spann said. "They did a wonderful job."
Pfc. Eric Johnson, 25, of San Angelo, Texas, said he liked the stunts as well.
"They know what they're doing and it shows," Johnson said. "It's great entertainment.
Reach Joe Vargo at 951-368-9289 or jvargo@PE.com
Ellie
By JOE VARGO
The Press-Enterprise
TWENTYNINE PALMS - The riding was extreme, the weather sunny, the crowd appreciative and the message life-and-death.
A group of professional motorcyclists, including Riverside native Tony Carbajal, put on a stunt show Saturday at the Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center that included all the tricks no one should ever perform on a highway.
The demonstration included wheelies, stoppies (riding on the front wheel of the motorcycle while the rear one is airborne), riding backwards, upside down and with no hands.
Extreme? Definitely. Dangerous? Possibly. But all the stunt riders did their magic wearing helmets, spine protectors, gloves, boots and uniforms made of high-tech, shock-absorbing materials.
That was really the point, that safety matters, and riders should wear proper gear and know their limits when they fire up their bikes.
The military takes such safety demonstrations very seriously, said Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Cox.
Nineteen Marines were killed last year while riding on motorcycles, the deadliest year in the last several, according to Corps officials.
Teaching safety is such a priority that all Marines and other U.S. troops returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan receive a mandatory briefing about taking it easy while riding motorcycles and other extreme toys like off-road vehicles. Among some circles it's known as the "don't be stupid" lecture.
All Marines at Twentynine Palms who own motorcycles must pass a competency test before they can ride on base.
Military commanders say the deaths are largely the result of boredom, bonus pay that can top $20,000 and $30,000, and adrenalin to burn off after troops return from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Carbajal, 21, said Marines and motorcycles can make a bad mix.
"Lots of them like to ride but they don't have a lot of experience and they don't know a lot about proper riding gear," Carbajal said last week as he practiced for Saturday's show in the parking lot of a Riverside church. "The next thing you know, they're getting hurt or killed."
Marines aren't alone among American military dying while riding.
In 2006, 77 Army soldiers died while riding.
In the first five months of that year, five U.S. Air Force personnel were killed, prompting the service to begin a motorcycle-riding mentorship program.
More servicemen died in motorcycle accidents from 2001 to 2006 than were killed in the corresponding first five years of the war in Afghanistan.
In recent years, news stories across the country relate the tragedy of soldiers and former soldiers, many combat veterans, killed while riding. Those include:
A 22-year-old Marine from Camp Pendleton killed in August while riding at an "unsafe speed" near Julian.
A Marine corporal killed in a motorcycle wreck on an interstate highway near San Diego in August. He was going more than 100 mph when he crashed into a sedan.
A 24-year-old Marine killed in March near Tulsa, Okla., a month after returning from a combat deployment.
A 26-year-old Marine killed near Vero Beach, Fla., in late 2005 after returning from an overseas deployment.
Saturday's show drew an estimated 14,000 Marines and members of the public.
Marine Pfc. Corey Spann, 25, of Holladay, Tenn., said the show reminded him of his Yamaha 150 dirt bike back home.
"I love to see all the different styles of riding," Spann said. "They did a wonderful job."
Pfc. Eric Johnson, 25, of San Angelo, Texas, said he liked the stunts as well.
"They know what they're doing and it shows," Johnson said. "It's great entertainment.
Reach Joe Vargo at 951-368-9289 or jvargo@PE.com
Ellie