Marine Joshua Shores of Ellsworth became the 71st Hogs for Heroes motorcycle recipient at an Aug. 8 ceremony at the GasLite Bar and Grill. Shores dreamed of being a Marine as a kid, enlisting as a junior in high school and graduating early in 2004.

“For the chance to fight, he graduated a semester early in January 2004, left for boot camp the following month and returned to cross his school’s graduation stage in his dress blues. The Infantryman returned to Camp Pendleton and, as a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) Gunner, immediately began training for his first combat deployment. Josh landed in Ramadi, Iraq in February 2005: one of the most dangerous cities at the time. While there he would experience personal turmoil, injury and loss; and as a result, would earn a Purple Heart and a lifetime of struggles with PTSD, TBI and Survivors Guilt. Six months later he deployed on an MEU and extended his contract for another deployment to Iraq. He joined MARSOC for this tour and instead of Iraq, was sent to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan, for near continuous battle with the Taliban. His contract complete, he separated and almost instantly began transitional struggles,” a Hogs for Heroes Facebook post celebrating Shores stated.

Shores wrote the book “Counting on Death,” which tackles the “raw, unfiltered truths of war and the personal battles that follow.” In addition to Shores’ four and a half years serving with the Marines, he is also a retired firefighter. The book is available on Audible as well as anywhere books are sold. Shores’ sister gave him a leatherbound journal before his first of three deployments (two combat deployments). He took notes while in Iraq, using them to write a book of reflection years later.

“The book was a culmination of those journal notes and then my reflections on what the war was for me 20 years later,” Shores said. “There was a lot of time to sit with therapists and myself, and then just reflect on it.”

The book focuses on how the Iraq deployment affected Shores and the thoughts he has had in the years following.

Shores returned home and dealt with grief, anger and isolation, falling back on alcohol to cope. He then found motorcycling, riding for two years before giving it up for financial reasons.

“With uncontrolled outbursts, depressive emotions and suicide attempts, Josh took the difficult step forward and finally sought mental health care through the VA. While he moved through life and started a family, buying a motorcycle wasn’t within the family’s means despite his longing for wind therapy. He’s been borrowing a friend's bike to help with the needed release; and Hogs for Heroes believed we could support Josh’s healing by gifting him a bike of his own,” Hogs for Heroes stated.

He now has ridden the bike about 1,000 miles, loving every minute of it.

“It was just incredible. I don’t really have words to describe how honored I was to be chosen for it,” Shores said. “It’s an amazing organization.”

“Just getting miles on it,” Shores said. “I’ve been riding as much as I can.”

With many people attending the ceremony, Shores saw just how much support there is for veterans in the community. He hopes others in the area apply for motorcycles through Hogs for Heroes to eventually ride with him. Shores received his Harley Davidson keys at the GasLite, and he was joined by his 1st Battalion 5th Marines Association brother Patrick Dunn, who received a motorcycle from Hogs for Heroes in 2022.

“It feels good. For me, it’s more seeing that there’s a network in my area of vets and people that support everything we’re doing for our country,” Shores said. “The patriotism that was there was the thing that I was happiest to see.”

Shores thanked Kevin and Audra Thompson of Hogs for Heroes for the motorcycle and for helping to run a non-profit that he said has made the lives of many veterans better.

“Seeing all the organizations that exist to support veterans, some of them can be kind of questionable with what they’re doing with the money, but this organization is one that puts literally every dollar into buying motorcycles for veterans,” Shores said.