A 9,700 km coast-to-coast journey with The Rolling Barrage to dispel the stigma of PTSD.

Scott Casey, the founder of The Rolling Barrage, served in the Canadian Army. In the early 1990s, he and hundreds of other soldiers were deployed to the former Yugoslavia as United Nations peacekeepers. Almost immediately, they came under fire from heavily armed warring factions that did not want international attention focused on their barbaric ethnic cleansing practices aimed at Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats. Far too often, the peacekeepers, who had expected to aid the populace, fought for their very existence. 

Witnessing massacred children, women, and the elderly left emotional trauma that, for many, lasts to this day. Veterans are not known for sharing the often-grisly details of their service careers with civilians and thus, left on their own, too many withdraw from society. Some never lose the feeling that hidden snipers await and they still survey their surroundings for ambush sites. Imagine riding on a pleasant summer day with such thoughts. 

These reactions are also common among the police, firefighters and first responders who deal with tragedy as an often-daily occurrence. Compounding these effects is the fact that many “outsiders” have no desire to listen to those traumatized by their service. 

Unable to cope with feelings of isolation, depression, guilt, anger, mood swings and spiritual turmoil, some take their own lives. Others seek escape by using alcohol or drugs, which can lead to homelessness, jail, or death. Following the suicide of his best friend, Scott was driven to find a way of fighting back against the stigmas of veterans reaching out for help. 

A RIDE TO SUPPORT THE CAUSE

Scott has ridden motorcycles for years and the ride’s seed grew from there. In 2017, he and five other veterans rode to Canada’s east coast and then journeyed back to the west coast. These first participants had no long-term plans beyond reaching the Maritimes. However, before the ride ended, a wish surfaced for a repeat the following year with hopes of bringing along more buddies. The ride now repeats annually, and the number of participants has grown significantly. 

Participants do not have to be veterans of the military, police, fire departments or first responders. A growing number, including this writer, are not veterans but have roots in military and service families. In 2023, it was my privilege join the ride from Okotoks, Alta., to Burnaby, B.C. The warm welcome I received, and the group’s camaraderie, inspired my wish to join the 2024 coast-to-coast ride. Using the jargon of The Rolling Barrage, I signed up for what is known as The Full Pull: riding across the entire country to help spread the message. 

HEADING TO THE MARITIMES

To reach the east coast starting point, I first had to ride from Alberta. Having never journeyed further east than southern Ontario, I wondered what reception awaited a rider from Alberta in Quebec. My French is basic, but despite that, if I tried, Quebecers…