Dave Scott Barr first visited Israel in the early 1970's. Not Jewish, the young American had no connection to the Promised Land. But as a Vietnam vet, he was attracted to the ethos of the IDF, and decided to enlist in the Paratroopers Brigade as a Barr holds two Guinness world records: one for being the first and only amputee to cross Siberia on a motorcycle in winter, and the other for the first motorcycle trek between the Australian continent's four extreme geographical corners. Moments before departing Israel, Barr conversed about his two great loves: motorcycles and Israel. He spoke of the life transformation that resulted from his major injury, his experiences in the IDF in the 1970's, and the friends he made along the way. In a thick American accent marked by abundant and charming misuse of the masculine and feminine forms, Dave Scott Barr gave a rundown in Hebrew of his two-week journey in Israel, I have a warm, special place in my heart for Israel. Obviously, I'm excited to be here. Whenever the opportunity for a meeting like this arises particularly in Israel Im the first to jump on it and say, Yalla! "Im always happy to come back to Israel, especially when its to talk about the things I love most and ride my motorcycle with people like these guys. He said. Barr never stops moving despite the loss of both limbs, and he hasn't settled for just a motorbike. He was the first parachutist in the world to sky dive sans legs, proving that a handicap doesnt have to limit your lifestyle. He's not ready to retire from the road, and talks to anyone willing to listen to his charming lectures about how to succeed against all odds. In an interview with God gave me a message in the form of my injury, he says. I understood that I had to change my mission, and started hitting destinations around the globe on the back of my 1972 Harley-Davidson. I needed to share some of the hope and personal empowerment I'd experienced with others. A real soldier. You cant miss Barr. He stands out even when surrounded by a posse of rough-riders on Harley-Davidson hogs. Sporting a baseball hat emblazoned with the Harley-Davidson logo and a shirt bearing the brand name of the most ubiquitous, macho motorbike company in the world, his narrow, state-of-the-art prostheses are exposed as if in protest. Its just for convenience, he insists. I ride around with my pants rolled up over the prostheses, because the area I live in the U.S. is not that accessible to amputees. I fall a lot there, and if my pants arent rolled up, I rip them. His macho speech hints at his past as a hard-bitten soldier. Though more than three decades have elapsed since he stripped off his uniform and mounted a bike, and despite his attempts at refining his image in the years that followed his injury and rehabilitation, nothing can hide his prevalent masculinity. Not even his advanced age. His eyes light up when he recalls his military career, which began when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17. I enlisted in 1969, during the Vietnam War years. During my service as a machine gunner in a Marine helicopter unit, I earned 57 medals. I flew 1,000 sorties in just one year. Barr was discharged from the American military after three years, in 1972. A year later and shortly after the Yom Kippur War, he discovered Israel and its endless battle for existence. He began reading about Israel and after a brief period of learning about the country, he emigrated here and decided to volunteer to the IDF. He arrived at Kibbutz Ramat Hashofet, and after volunteering there for a year, enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade as a He remained in Israel for a while after completing his military service, working as a fisherman and in off-shore drilling before returning to the U.S. But a man like Barr cant stay in one place for long. He hit the road a few years later for a tour of duty in the Rhodesian (now Zimbabwean) army. That tour included training local soldiers as well as an elite unit in the South African military. While serving in the South American military in 1981, Barr experienced a life transformation. He was riding in a vehicle in Angola that ran over a landmine and subsequently lost both legs. My commander, Colonel Breintenbach, flew out of the vehicle, and split open his face on the vehicle's machine gun. He and the driver were on their last legs but they managed to drag me out before the car went up in flames and exploded, recalls Barr without a glimpse of fear in his eyes. As a result of that event, Dave underwent 20 operations - four of them were the amputations which left him without his legs. An above-the-knee amputation on the right leg and a slightly below-the-knee amputation on the left. I suffered burns on my arms and back, and became totally deaf in my left ear. And if that weren't enough, Im also color blind. From bed to bike It eventually became clear that the tragic event only made Barr stronger. He takes every opportunity to discount the role of luck. I believe that everything is for a reason. Theres no such thing as luck. There was a reason that my vehicle ran over a mine. God wanted to divert me from my military career. He wanted to guide me toward another path. It took me awhile to recognize that, but after I recovered from the injury, I returned home to the U.S. I adapted the motorcycle, and when I rode it for the first time with the prostheses, I immediately knew that my new mission was to ride my bike around the world on behalf of disabled people. So the mine was actually the hand of God- Yes. And the amputation of my legs has advantages for my new mission in life. For example, I dont know what it's like to feel frostbite. Besides that, I weigh 15 kilos less due to my lack of legs, while my heart stayed the same size. So my circulation is the same and my body temperature is better calibrated than that of a person with two legs. Standing next to his bike on the road, he looks like a flinty cowboy who just got off the back of a horse. Harley-Davidsons agent in Israel, Eitan Ben-Ari, who rode alongside Barr last week, says, You cant help but be amazed when you see this lone coyote. Its inspiring to hear how his personal story means that you can come out of the experience of failure as a success. But if you ask me what I think of him? I think hes crazy. You have to be one of two things to do what he did, a man with very big balls or a tremendous fool, and hes certainly not a fool. He also doesnt say for a minute that hes exceptionally brave. If he thinks that, he certainly doesnt brag about it. 83,000 miles During his journey around the world, he delivers fascinating lectures that focus on the wisdom garnered during the course of his extraordinary life. Speaking at universities, leading high-tech corporations, and charity organizations, he has traveled to China, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, and other nations throughout the world. He also wrote two riveting travel books, Riding the Edge, and Riding the Ice, highlighting his experiences while crossing Siberia in the dead of winter and his journey to Australia. The books are accompanied by videos and photographs. Over the years, Barr has become a recognized figure in the bikers community, and a spokesman and presenter for the Harley-Davidson international motor company. He has even created a foundation to support international organizations for the disabled and assist in their rehabilitation. He rode 83,000 miles in three and a half years, covering six continents and circumnavigating the world. Why does your black motorcycle look so new and clean after all of your travels? They put the original bike that I rode around the world on display in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Ohio. Back to the platoon Members of his IDF paratroopers platoon celebrated the 35th anniversary of their enlistment in May, 2010. One of the guys said that, while traveling in the United States, he saw Scott. That was his nickname. We found him in time to talk to him on the phone during the party. We decided to bring him and his family [a wife and two children] to Israel for a visit, one of his friends in the company said. Members of his unit also took it upon themselves to promote his activities on behalf of disabled people, particularly disabled war veterans. They launched a Hebrew website on his behalf, filling it with war and other stories from the field. One of his brothers in arms commented on his recent visit, It was strange to see him after such a long time. We remembered an impassioned recruit in the paratroopers who taught us all about war. He set a very high bar for us. Yoel Nitzani, a squad leader who in time became a platoon sergeant, wrote about Barr on the Internet, I was a young private with limited experience commanding combat operations. Scott was three years older than me, and he had a wealth of combat experience from his stint in the Marines in Vietnam. He roused a great deal of curiosity and respect. He adamantly refused to accept any special treatment based on his age or experience. He was a 23-year old geezer! And he stood out as the product of another military culture with his iron-fisted discipline, toughness, and uncompromising professionalism. I escorted Scott through his entire training course to become a squad leader and platoon sergeant or to be more precise, he escorted me as a sort of senior soldier helping an inexperienced commander facing a variety of challenges. Nitzani later wrote about Barrs prominent role in thwarting an attack on the platoons recruits, who were waiting for a ride at Beit Lid when two terrorists attacked them. Among all the surprised recruits, Scott was the first to return fire and throw back a grenade that was thrown at the group. On the day that preceded his return to the U.S., Barr was still moved by a gesture organized for his last Shabbat in the country, in which nearly 250 members of the Israel Motorcycle Club and the Israel Harley Davidson Club (Roy) participated. They took a symbolic ride along a route that featured a few of the landmarks in Barrs IDF career, highlighting his frontline duty on the Syrian border. Roy club chairman Hadar Gadol said of the celebratory ride, We took the journey to indulge in a bit of nostalgia and show him that he is no longer a lone soldier.
Easy Rider
After losing both his legs in 1981, former soldier Dave Scott Barr circumnavigated the globe on a Harley-Davidson • Two weeks ago he returned to his adopted second homeland, where he served in the IDF despite not being Jewish, to tell his story.
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