US Veterans Foundation Surprises Fallen Marines Family with Restored Motorcycle

December 20, 2015 | 5,031 views |

Brian Belchik received a surprise Christmas gift on Saturday, Dec. 19, when he was presented with his little brother’s motorcycle, who was killed in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. Christopher Belchik is a Marine who was killed in action on Aug. 22, 2004, by a roadside bomb during his second deployment to Iraq, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was the first veteran in this area to return home KIA.

One of the joys in Chris’s life was his motorcycle that he purchased while stationed at Camp Lejeune North Carolina. Although many joked with him about its pink/purple paint job, Belchik was proud of his 1995 Suzuki Katana. Chris would call his brother from Iraq and ask about his bike, making sure it was being taken care of and covered at all times.

Older brother Brian knew he had to maintain that responsibility and forever hold the motorcycle close to his heart. After much persuasion, Brian let go of the motorcycle and into the hands of Pinto’s Kustoms in East Alton.

“We originally asked Brian if we could use this bike to do this project and he actually didn’t want anyone to touch it,” said Jason Thompson, CEO of the US Veterans Foundation. “But after a little convincing, we got hm to release the bike to us and we dropped it off over at Ethan Humbert’s shop, at Pinto’s Kustom’s who took it in and completed the project just for the cost of parts. They didn’t charge any labor or anything.”

The US Veterans Foundation, Ted’s Motorcycle World, Iron  House CrossFit, Pinto’s Kustoms & Collision and family and friends all came together to raise the funds to complete a project that the Belchik family could only dream of.

Brian’s Saturday morning started out pretty much like any other. As Belchik and his colleagues were conducting their weekly workout session at the Iron House CrossFit Gym in Godfrey, little did he know there were dozens of family and friends waiting for him outside in the parking lot.

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