Kangaroo Express’ Salute Our Troops campaign is back for a second year to help the USO. The campaign – which goes from June 27 through September 4 – invites guests of 1,600 Kangaroo Express stores across 13 states to donate funds to support the USO’s mission of lifting the spirits of troops and their families. To help raise awareness and excitement, they’ve sent out a caravan on tour featuring custom patriotic vehicles – including a very special motorcycle.

In Sept 2008, Romulo “Romy” Camargo was shot in the neck during a firefight in the mountains of Afghanistan. The bullet shattered his C-3 vertebrate, which left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Romy, a Coral Springs, FL native, is currently recovering at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa. With his wife Gabriela and their two-year-old son at his side, Romy became a mentor, providing inspiration to other wounded soldiers and their families that are just beginning the recovery process. Despite his paralysis, Romy’s dream was to ride again.

And so it become a mission for many. Izzy Izquierdo, owner of Lefty Brothers Motorcycles in Fort Bragg, NC donated his spare time to design and build a custom motorcycle for Romy. “As soon as I left the hospital, ” Izzy said, “I told my wife Barb I was going to build a bike to be dedicated to Romy.” Izzy spent countless hours designing a one of a lend custom bobber and attached sidecar that holds Romy and his motorized wheelchair safely. It’s done, and it’s now traveling with the Kangaroo Express Salute the Troops caravan, helping raise money for military organizations like the USO! -  Vyque White, USO Director of New Media