Savoring their service: Sturgis-bound with Veterans Charity Ride chef Sharry Billings

I shake my head and laugh, knowing The Litas–Los Angeles co-founder with sleeve tattoos will be leaving shortly for another three-week trip to Sturgis on her 2015 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim — and she hasn’t packed yet.

"I’ll deal with it," I joke. "This would cost me about $20 anywhere in L.A., and you just threw it together in two minutes."

Immediately, I understand why the SoCal-based moto-matriarch and celebrity chef was a perfect fit for the Veterans Charity Ride (VCR), a non-profit organization in its seventh year that uses motorcycle therapy, adventure activities and wellness programs to provide life-changing, lifesaving experiences for combat-wounded and amputee veterans across the nation.

"Sharry is such a great chef, and she cares," says VCR Founder and veteran Army Airborne Paratrooper Dave Frey. "She not only prepares these tasty, great meals, but also makes them healthy. The vets appreciate them and everyone knows: When you eat better, you look better, you feel better, you ride better. She brings that to the table. She’s been a tremendous help."

Tomorrow, a group of 16 veterans will begin this year’s epic, cross-country trip to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. While the ride is the "carrot" that attracts most to the organization, the Veterans Charity Ride upholds its mission to provide holistic healing through outreach, action, activities, education and follow-up aside from the ride.

The Well Vet Program, launched about five years ago, focuses on both the physical and mental health of veterans returning home from combat and is just one component of the organization’s 360-degree approach. The five-week process was designed by Dave’s wife, Sue Frey, a certified health and wellness coach, nutritionist and the program’s director, who incidentally worked with Sharry for a celebrity client in L.A. over 20 years ago.

"One of the main problems a veteran has coming back from combat is sleeping," explains Dave. "Sue knows better nutrition can help with that; help them safely reduce or get off the many drugs or pills they may have been taking."

Sgt. Major Keith Helfrich, Army Special Forces (Ret.) and one of the many VCR participants who later become Veteran Mentors, attests to its success. "It’s given me the tools and experience and something to help guide me for the rest of my life to a happier and healthier existence," he said.

Riding (and more) as therapy

The full experience of the Veterans Charity Ride begins at a cozy lodge along the river and at the base of the red rocks of Castle Valley just outside Moab, Utah, where selected veterans from all over the country gather together and meet with the mentors and volunteers who will be conducting the programs and organizing the daily activities. Events include off-roading, horseback riding, zip lining, river rafting and taking a motorcycle safety course to relearn and refresh their riding skills before the trek to Sturgis.

"The rides and outdoor adventure activities, and just being with other veterans in this serene environment, organically creates camaraderie and discussions that lead to a very healing experience, and that’s not easy for veterans to find anywhere else," adds Helfrich.

During this time, Sharry is in charge of all planning, prepping, shopping for, cooking, packing up and cleaning up after all three meals per day, which can include "sack lunches" or "picnic table spreads," depending on where they’ll be for the day. Some of the food she serves is what she thinks the vets and volunteers might want or are used to, but when she can, Sharry adds her own flair.

"I try to make it comfort food, but a little leaner, a little healthier; put a little California-slide in there," she shares. "Like with breakfast burritos, rather than pork I use turkey; lighten the meat a bit. To be honest, they don’t even notice. Although, I have been asked to make shit on a shingle. So we will throw some wacky stuff in there too."

After seven days in Moab, the team begins what Helfrich has called "the ride of a lifetime to Sturgis." Through the use of Indian motorcycles and Champion sidecars, enhanced by Rinehart Racing exhausts and Rekluse auto clutches, wounded and amputee veterans are either able to pilot their own V-twins or enjoy the route as a passenger with a Veteran Mentor for the 822 miles through Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and into South Dakota.

Included in the pack is videographer, author and photographer Sara Liberte riding sidecar, and Sharry, on the only Harley in the group, in the last position before the sweep and the blocker.

"It’s incredible to watch the stream of them," recalls Sharry, who is used to leading the multi-state group rides hosted by The Litas-Los Angeles. "There’s Jared, our Road Captain, then three sidecars, and then there’s the rest of them all on Indian motorcycles. It’s beautiful." Thankfully, she doesn’t have to cook for this portion of the trip and can just relax and enjoy the open road, which she does immensely.

It’s a sentiment shared by Liberte, who used to ride a 1996 Harley-Davidson XL. "This will be my sixth year supporting Veterans Charity Ride and every year, it’s my favorite," she says. "The determination of these guys. Watching amputee veterans figure out how to ride a motorcycle with a sidecar is life-changing. It’s an experience that supersedes most others in life. To watch someone gain their independence back after they sacrificed so much of it… pretty tough to put into words."

The impact the trip has on its participants is augmented and reciprocated by those met along the way as the riders stop in several small towns to meet the grateful people of our nation who welcome and celebrate them upon arrival. Wanting to expand upon VCR’s mission "to include as many veterans as possible," founder Dave reaches out to riding groups, motorcycle clubs and other organizations, such as the Patriot Guard Riders, American Legion Riders, Combat Vets MC or the VFW MC to escort the riders as they pass through or host reception points to break some bread together.

"One day, there was this huge spread," notes Sharry. "They had massage therapists, they had acupuncturists for these guys, it was gorgeous. All of the other vets come out to visit. It’s this huge community."

Upon their arrival in the Black Hills, there is a parade down Main Street to greet the veterans as well as a formal welcoming ceremony at Indian Motorcycles in Sturgis. The next several days are filled with more riding, daytime activities and continued veteran-to-veteran discussion times, during which Sharry is again in charge of cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"I’m getting chills just thinking about it," Sharry enthusiastically reports. "Last year, they had a double amputee paratrooper fly in with a huge American flag — oh my God, it was amazing — and land exactly on this little grass patch in front of the Indian Sturgis. He didn’t miss a beat. I don’t know how he did it. It was windy and there was a storm. He kept having to circle around and around and then finally landed. And then we all grabbed the flag and folded it up. It was incredible. And then I went grocery shopping."

Join the ride into Sturgis

While operationally accounting for all of the food and travel necessities for 20 volunteers and veterans over a two-week period can be difficult at any time, these past two years have been especially challenging due to COVID-19. Fundraising has been harder, awareness has suffered and travel restrictions have impeded veterans from not just supporting the ride, but also getting out in general.

That’s why this year VCR is expanding its reach by taking on a special mission called "America, Get Out and Ride!" to encourage everyone who has been affected by COVID-related guidelines to participate. The goal is to assemble what they hope will be the largest group of veteran riders to descend on the opening ceremony of the 81st Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which takes place at noon this Friday with the charity ride scheduled to arrive at 2 p.m.

To see where you can meet the riders and join them for the ride into Sturgis, see the schedule on the VCR web site. You can also follow the ride on Rever.

"The worst thing that could happen to a vet going through issues of coming back from combat is isolation," Dave emphasizes. "Motorcycle riding brings you open spaces, camaraderie and like-minded bike enthusiasts. It’s the perfect thing the nation can take advantage of and we want to invite all our supporters to come join us."

The initiative is made possible by the collaborative efforts of sponsors and partners like Indian Motorcycles, Rinehart Racing, Rekluse, Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys, Cycle Gear and REVER, who have all continued their support for the Veterans Charity Ride program by providing bikes and accessories, products and gear, promoting the ride and sharing the event through social platforms.

"It's an honor to support these riders on their annual trip to Sturgis," says Sheena Walker, Sr. Business Development Marketing Specialist for Cycle Gear. "One of the focus areas of our Comoto Cares program is supporting veterans' mental health and well being, and that's exactly what Veterans Charity Ride does."

Even the promotion of Sharry’s grassroots "Buy a Vet a Meal" FlipCause campaign on social media has helped with the cost of food and is generating awareness, leading to her appearance on the "Girl on a Moto" podcast, as well as a live-stream interview with veteran supporter Sean Phillips of Throat Punch Cigars.

"I wanted to give people the opportunity to buy them dinner because in my opinion it’s an honor. It’s not a chore, it’s an honor."

Yet to reach her fundraising goal, Sharry heads to Moab with long-distance rider and friend Annette Dearth, who will assist her and Sue with meal preps, cooking, food transportation and clean up.

"I’ll be the sous chef, the dishwasher, the cookie maker and anything else she needs," says the eight-time Sturgis-bound "paper map only" route planner. She’ll also be riding the only other Harley-Davidson, rolling in on her 2011 custom-painted orange Street Glide, strategically packed with floaties "’cause there’s always water somewhere."

The two left Los Angeles to arrive in Moab ahead of the veterans.

"We’ll get there early," says Annette, "unpack, and then…"

"Go to the grocery store," Sharry says, finishing the sentence with her.

"It’s a ton of work," says Sharry, "a ton, ton, ton of work. You don’t stop. But the love that you feel when you’re in that atmosphere, you don’t feel like you’re working. You just feel like you’re part of this family dynamic. It’s incredible."