STANFORD, Ky. (LEX 18) — “If you spare one life, you can save a generation.” That’s the motto for LCpl. Brandon Rice, a retired Marine with a goal to stop veteran suicide.
“I lost a dear friend of mine and his wife,” Rice said, “I felt like something needed to be done. Especially since I was the only veteran there to salute him off. It broke my heart. It literally broke my heart.”
One way Rice did something was to start connecting with veterans by working on and riding motorbikes.
“It's a team, it's a teamwork skill,” he said. “It shows that we can work together to build a bike. It's, it's like giving your unit back to you.”
After he started working on and riding these bikes, he started a YouTube channel, eventually making his way to Tennessee. There, he was introduced to Operation Charlie Bravo, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing veteran suicide and combating PTSD.
Rice felt called to try and start a new chapter.
“Awareness just don't feel like enough. It sounds good, it looks good on paper, but it's not enough. So we came up with a thing called action over awareness because only action can save lives. This was our action we were putting into it.”
This Kentucky Chapter of Operation Charlie Bravo would be one of four chapters in the country, joining groups in Alabama, Illinois, and Indiana. The opportunity to open this chapter gives Rice purpose.
“When I see other people smile and I see other people thriving, it makes me feel like I'm doing something good in life, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right. It gives me something, it gives me back my life to be able to help other people. Until you have action behind the awareness, you can't save lives with just awareness alone.”
Before Rice could open up this chapter, though, he had to first plan a fundraiser.
The Operation Charlie Bravo Kickstart, planned by Rice, will launch on Saturday, April 13, at 9 a.m. at First Southern Veterans Park in Stanford. The event includes drag and stunt racing, as well as a bike show.
The event already has support from Stanford Mayor Dalton Miller, another veteran.
“That's exciting, you know,” Rice said. “That gives me goosebumps. To see that level of people that want to come out and actually help support our action over awareness.
