PROFILE
Hembree sees
the custom motorcycle for the fi rst time
during the presentation at NBAA2013
THE PRESENTATION At 11 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, October 22 – an hour after the doors fi rst opened for the 2013 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in Las Vegas – the cover was pulled off the Harley-Davidson motorcycle that the Jet Aviation St. Louis team had custom built for Hembree. Unlike any other customized motorcycle those in attendance had ever seen, this one was a remarkable rolling account of the heroic service of a young soldier from Missouri during fi ve days of fi erce fi ghting on a mountainside in Afghanistan in November 2010. Standing on the Jet Aviation stage at NBAA that
morning, Hembree for the fi rst time saw the motorcycle that the team of technicians at Jet Aviation St. Louis spent hundreds of hours creating to honor him and seven fellow soldiers who died in the rugged Pech Valley in Kunar Province in northwestern Afghanistan during Operation Bulldog Bite. Not a dry eye could be seen in the crowd as Hembrook’s story was told and he was presented with the motorcycle. Hembree had known for months that he would receive the customized Harley-Davidson Street Bob to honor his service. But he had no idea what to expect from this eff ort that applied the most technical specialties at Jet Aviation St. Louis – engineering, metal working, painting, upholstery, avionics, mechanics, and electronics – to a motorcycle. What he found was a stunning bike that combines unique versions of military insignia, badges and patches with interpretations
11.12 2013
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of the symbols of those fi ve harrowing days as Hembree described them to Jet Aviation. Front and center, as Hembree requested as his fi rst priority, were the names of his fallen comrades – in a haunting design on the tank. The motorcycle and the presentation to Hembree were the centerpiece of the company’s booth at NBAA and the focus of a high-level client celebration. Dan Clare, president of the Jet Aviation Group, took the time to participate in the presentation. On the large screen at the booth – behind the center-stage
display of the motorcycle – a video told the story of how the designers, engineers and craftsmen transformed a stock Harley-Davidson into a one-of-a-kind homage to Hembree’s courage and service. An adjacent kiosk provided an account of Hembree’s experiences in words and photographs. We asked some of the Operation Hog volunteers what it meant to them to be a part of this special project. Here Is their feedback: Charlie Wittman (Senior Manager, C20 Program,
Gulfstream, and Operation Hog Project Manager) “This project meant so much to me because, as a veteran, I’ve seen so many veterans in the past not get the level of appreciation they deserve. Doing this project allowed me to personally contribute something special to our veterans’ community. Professionally, this project allowed us to demonstrate our special abilities to a segment of the population that doesn’t normally get to see the kind of detailed work we do, the attention to detail we do in our work on a daily basis.”
DOMmagazine
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