Photo By Capt. James Stenger | Servicemembers with II Marine Expeditionary Force answer questions from a motrocyle...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Do you love a thrill? Do you despise closed windows and air conditioning? Would you rather be on the open road than anywhere else in the world? Are you ready to ride?
If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you need to check in with the motorcycle rider-coaches for the Basic Rider’s Course at the Hadnot Point Motorcycle Training Facility here.
The BRC is a two-day course, is free to active-duty military personnel, and teaches the basic fundamentals of motorcycle operation and safety. Eleven servicemembers from across II Marine Expeditionary Force completed the BRC Sept. 25 on their way to becoming fully-certified motorcycle operators.
As part of force preservation and safety measures put in place in 2008 by the Marine Corps’ top leaders, the BRC is the first step toward being compliant with Marine Corps Order 5100.19F, which governs motorcycle riders.
Once a Marine or sailor graduates the BRC, they are better prepared to take a state Department of Motor Vehicles test in order to receive a motorcycle endorsement on their license. Rules differ depending on the state issuing the endorsement, but hopeful riders can expect a written exam and live skills test on a motorcycle.
After a rider purchases his or her own motorcycle, sailors have 60 days and Marines have 120 days to complete follow-on training with their motorcycle. This course, the BRC-2, is also offered free of charge for active-duty military personnel on base.
After completing the follow-on training, riders can take their registration and certificates to the base pass and registration office and receive decals for on-base access. Most insurance companies will also award a discount after successfully completing a safety course.
The purpose of the BRC is not simply to get Marines and sailors the appropriate paperwork required to be able to ride on base.
The goal from the start of the safety program was to completely eliminate motorcycle fatalities across the Department of the Navy.
According to Mike Lacy, a motorcycle rider-coach who operates the Hadnot Point training facility, in 2008 more servicemembers died due to motorcycle accidents than troops supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“Not everyone can ride a motorcycle,” said Elaine Lacy, Mike’s wife and fellow rider coach. “Nobody wants to get that phone call … if it could have been prevented.”
According to Elaine Lacy, the Marine Corps started this safety program with the idea that “someone has an interest in your safety.” To emphasize this point, Elaine immediately memorizes every student’s name and clothing in order to give the training a personal feel. Her ability is uncanny.
Sometimes that can make all the difference.
“I have only been [at Camp Lejeune] for two months, and I’ve seen an accident almost everyday,” said Cpl. Dominique Rollison, a 22-year-old Marine attached to Combat Logistics Regiment 25, originally from Charleston, S.C. He has been riding recreational motored vehicles for roughly 10 years.
“I realized I had a lot of bad habits,” he said. “This course teaches the proper way to do things.”
The course is broken in two separate portions. Students first receive classroom instructions, complete with video aids and a question-and-answer handbook. The indoor guided discussions teach learners not to “pop the clutch” and the importance of conducting pre-ride inspections.
Once students complete the static training, they move to the training facility, or range, and receive hands-on instruction. The live segment begins at the basics, like the relationship between the clutch and throttle, and graduates to advanced techniques, like how to properly cross an obstruction or how to swerve safely.
The BRC takes a crawl, walk, run approach to learning, which enables students to gradually gain comfort on their bikes.
“[The training was] actually a good stepping process,” said Cpl. Evan W. Pollock, a 22-year-old Marine attached to Combat Logistics Regiment 25, originally from Placerville, Calif. “A motorcycle can permanently damage you or take you away from your family.”
The instructors are patient. The students are eager. The simple blunders and potentially dangerous riding is comical when conducted on a closed course, with supervision. On the open road, however, motorcycle safety is not a joke.
Elaine and Mike Lacy have nearly 50 years of motorcycle riding experience, combined. Nearly every member of their family owns a bike and so the couple takes every opportunity to educate the Marine Corps’ newest riders.
“Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes,” concluded Elaine.
Editor’s Note: If you are interested in riding a motorcycle, contact your unit’s safety officer. Make no mistake, if you ride a motorcycle and wear a uniform, you are required to abide by Marine Corps Order 5100.19F.
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2012 17:02 |
| Story ID: | 95395 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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