Combat Hero Bike Build to honor South Lake Tahoe veteran

Richard "Jay" Thoma of South Lake Tahoe will be presented a custom bike in Carson City on Saturday as part of the Combat Hero Bike Build giveaway.

Thoma, who has lived on the South Shore since 1989, lost his leg in an accident on an aircraft carrier in the Philippines in 1973 at the age of 18. Since then he has been walking with a prosthetic leg but never gave up the love of riding motorcycles.

Jay has been riding off and on for 47 years, starting at the age of 16 when he rode a Honda 125 prior to going into Navy. After his injury, he rigged a Triumph Bonneville hardtail chopper with a hand shift.

Combat Hero Bike Build will be unveiling the bike built by Mark Daley of Thunderstruck Customs at Battle Born Harley Davidson in Carson City Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

Jim Sloan, aka Sweeper, of Run For The Wall, will be joined by riders from far away as Missouri and Oklahoma to join in the bike giveaway celebration.

The event is open to the public.

Combat Hero Bike Build is a non-profit organization that builds custom motorcycles for disabled veterans and Thoma is one of this year's recipients. It is a program designed by warriors, for warriors, to give wounded heroes the freedoms they once enjoyed. The motorcycle is long associated with freedom and adventure

In 2013, two long time friends and riders with Run for the Wall wanted to find a way to recognize our severely wounded combat Veterans and give them the freedom of riding that many of us take for granted. These friends, John “Hardcharger” Barker and Ray “Too Tall” McDowell, came up with a way to say thanks to those Veterans and formed Combat Hero Bike Build (CHBB).

​For more information on CHBB and how to donate, visit https://www.combatherobikebuild.org/.