Bikers gather at the fairgrounds for the VFW’s annual indoor bike show

Of the 20 or so motorcycles on display at the Columbus Fairgrounds building Saturday, Bruce Hoffman’s Harley Davidson Night Train almost certainly had the highest mileage.

Hoffman doesn’t know exactly how many kilometers that is, but the motorcycle has its second engine.

“It has seen both oceans. You saw the Gulf,” said Hoffman, a West Point resident and member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4272 in Columbus. “I almost saw Canada, but I didn’t have a passport. The (guard) let me throw some dirt over (the border) though.”

Hoffman, a retired veteran, said he has “seen the world” through stints in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, the Navy and with an Army National Guard special operations unit. On Saturday, his bike was among the strongest competitors at the third annual indoor bike show sponsored by the VFW post and its rider group.

All riders on Saturday competed to win one of five divisions: Frankenstein for custom bikes; Metric, for bicycles manufactured abroad; Tricycle; Models from 1903-1999; and 2000-present models.

In the meantime, Dennis Jewell, former commander and national chairman of the driver group, sat out this show – not exactly of his own free will.

“I had to give it up two months ago for health reasons,” said Jewell, who said he started riding at age 11. “I think about buying a new one every morning. Then my wife says, ‘You know, the doctor told you no.'”

He paused, looked around for a moment, then added, “I miss riding.”

However, Jewell still showed up, proudly wearing his rider group’s orange T-shirt and remembering the true purpose of the show.

The event is one of several fundraisers the VFW hosts throughout the year to support veterans and community efforts.

Propst Park has been home to VFW Post 4272 since 1945, Jewell said, and the organization has helped fund several improvements there over the years, including a recent bridge construction and a donation to build the Field of Dreams for athletes with special needs needs.

In recent weeks, the postal service brought 10 televisions to the State Veterans Home in Kosciusko and purchased gift cards for Stokes Beard elementary students to celebrate their achievements on state tests.

The VFW also offers scholarships to qualified students for their higher education.

“The VFW does so much that people don’t realize it,” Jewell said. “…Last quarter we donated $50,000.”

The VFW welcomes any veteran who has served in a combat zone, and recruiting new members helps build a much-needed support network for these veterans, Jewell said. The retired 18-year Army veteran knows this all too well.

“Nobody can talk to you like another combat veteran,” he said. “…combat veterans are just a little different than most people. I have heard many of them say when we started talking, “I’m glad you talked to me because you know what I’m saying.”…It’s brothers and sisters helping brothers and sisters.”

Todd Poole Sr., the post’s deputy commander, who served tours in Iraq and the Korean Demilitarized Zone, began riding dirt bikes at age 6 and said riding has become one of his passions.

He normally opts out of competition to judge the motorcycle show, but on Saturday he showed up with his 2007 Harley Davidson Fat Boy just in case.

“People might remember in the movie ‘Terminator’ when Arnold (Schwarzenegger) goes to the bar and tells the guy, ‘Give me your clothes and your bike,'” Poole said. “I’m on this bike.”

Zack Plair is the managing editor of The Dispatch.