Ford, veterans teams team up to host Bronco Off-Roadeo for vets and their families

Ford Motor Co. partnered with veterans groups to host veterans and their families at their Bronco Off-Roadeo event in Texas.

Last month, about 200 veterans, survivors, military members and their families participated in an event at Ford’s headquarters in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. It featured a four-hour off-road tour, sharing sessions, motivational speakers, a special dinner, live music from Guitars 4 Vets and access to job placement services and veterans.

Participants included 70 Gold Star family members and Purple Heart recipients and members veteran teams such as Blue Star Families, TAPS, Travis Manion Foundation and Guitars 4 Vets. Ford’s trail guides in off-road courses also involve many veterans to help deepen that sense of camaraderie among attendees.

“We are very excited about the Bronco Off-Road Roadeo that Ford is making for so many military families and veterans,” Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families and wife of a Marine veteran, told a FOX Business interview. “They take families on an amazing journey, going up and down rocks and building friendships and happiness.”

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“But it’s not just about this wonderful day and this time to show gratitude to the people who worked for them and their families, it’s about sharing the available resources for families,” he explained. Roth-Bouquet added that the event also gives the different groups of veterans there an opportunity to connect and find ways to work together.

Nigel Fischer, director of development at Guitars for Vets and a 20-year veteran US Marine Corpstold FOX Business that the team’s performance in events like the Bronco Off-Roadeo helps show that veterans who may have suffered injuries during their service to the country can continue to perform.

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“I the music is goodbut we really show the flexible qualities of our program and the way we teach veterans who may have certain physical issues that may prevent them from adapting to a style of play that many others who don’t have those physical limitations may have challenges with,” he said.

“It’s great to be able to share that in person and many veterans will experience it for the first time by participating in this event, and seeing it for themselves. There’s no better example than that testimony of each of our people who are here participating in the show tonight, and then being able to step out into the crowd as the dinner goes on and respond questions about how the show was,” Fischer said.

Veterans groups connect with veterans, their families and survivors at Ford’s Bronco Off-Roadeo event. (Courtesy of Ford / Fox News)

Ford also brought in their human resources team to help place veterans and team members save energy for activities.

“They have the intention of hiring veterans, they are hiring people who do reserve work. We want to ask all employers to do that because we need a reserve force. 40 percent of our currently deployed troops are reserve or national. Monitor, so if employers can’t get people to work and do their reserve duty, we will not be able to take care of the country,” said Roth-Douquet.

The employees of Department of Veterans Affairs they were also there to help veterans access services or deal with issues that had previously prevented them from doing so.

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Attendees took Ford’s Bronco off-roading in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. (Courtesy of Ford / Fox News)

Fischer said that when he retired from the Marine Corps in 2013, he “had a rough start with the VA” and said “I think some veterans have heard some of those stories from peers, and we rely on that peer. a lot of feedback to help guide us as we transition.”

“What I have found in the last year is that there have been major changes in terms of the level of service, the level of care, the level of consideration of the employees. disability claimsand I found that to be very true because I took that opportunity to renew my relationship with the VA through events like this,” Fischer said.

Ford has partnered with veterans groups to host veterans and their families at their Bronco Off-Roadeo event in Texas. (Courtesy of Ford / Fox News)

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“I went to the VA and said, ‘I’d really like to get back in touch with you because from what I’ve heard, I’m going to get better care than I would in the civilian sector,'” he explained. “I’m very happy to be able to share with you that during that journey and my journey to seek care and with the VA, it’s been nothing short of top notch, so that’s an important aspect of what we do here.”