504 Days or until the mission is complete
That was the plan when Cody Carver out of Haskell, Oklahoma joined the U. S.
Army. Like a lot of other young men and women, Cody was influenced by the attack
on the Twin Towers and stated even then at the age of 13 that as soon as he
could he was going to join the military. Cody also wanted to be a police
officer, specializing in Forensics, it was not to
be.
Cody joined the U. S. Army and went
off for training at Fort Benning, GA and came on home on leave on September
7th, 2007. While on leave Cody
visited friends and family and purchased a life insurance policy leaving
specific instructions how the money was to be spent should he not come back as
he had received orders to deploy to
Iraq.


Cody's mother Pam, saw her son leaving back to Fort Benning, GA before being shipped to Iraq with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division in Baghdad, but saw more than Cody leaving as Mrs. Carver somehow had the feeling that it was going to be the last time she was ever going see her son alive. Call this a mother's intuition but on October 29th Mrs. Carver had a dream and one that she does not talk about much, but soon thereafter she received a visit from the military bearing those few words that no parent ever wants to hear Mrs. Carver, we regret to inform you. Cody was killed just 28 days after arriving in Salman Pak, Iraq due to enemy fire and an improvised explosive device. Along with PFC Cody M. Carver, SGT Daniel L. McCall, and SPC Rush M. Jenkins were also killed in action.


Per his instructions, Cody left his friends 10,000 dollars, some money to his
uncles, younger brother, and parents. As expected, the family, friends and the
entire town of Haskell took Cody's death hard. There were over 285 bikes at
Cody's funeral including members of the Patriot Guard Riders and members of the
Rolling
Thunder.
Particularly hit hard was Cody's father, Darrell, who also served our country
honorably from 1969-73 with the 101st Airborne including serving in Vietnam. Darrell used to run in the old
days so the question was how to honor their late son as well as the other
members of Cody's friends that were killed that day. Since Darrell rode and
Cody's mother, Pam, still rides her 2007 Shadow Hawk the answer was easy, build
a bike in tribute of their son and his friends. Both Darrell and Pam were
further inspired by the hundreds of bikes at Cody's funeral that paid tribute to
their son.


So the
decision was made to buy a bike and transform it into a rolling tribute that was
called, The Fallen Heroes Tribute Chopper, and folks, this is one beautiful
motorcycle.
The bike is a 2006 Arlen
Ness Pro Street Highliner that was purchased in Las Vegas, Nev. The bike was
then shipped to Tulsa, Oklahoma where painter Cole Stevens stripped the bike
down and putting it mildly painted a masterpiece. Folks, if you look closely
at this bike you will be very impressed and will probably get all choked
up.

We are not going into how much this or that cost but overall the Carvers have
spent right at $100,000 on the bike and Darrell rides it in parades with pride
and honor. When asked why, the Carvers responded, It means something to
others, to help, as Cody would. To help other families. This bike does more
than help other families, it gives everyone hope and a feeling of appreciation
that no matter what happens that all men and women who served their country
are honored and
appreciated.



Cody was born on June 23, 1988 and was killed in action on October 30, 2007.
Cody left behind a beautiful girlfriend, Ms. Ashley Pearce, a little brother by
the name of Jake, an older brother Lee, lots of friends, and his parents,
Darrell and Pam Carver. PFC Carter received a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and
the Good Conduct Medal, which are also displayed on the bike.
If
you ever get a chance to see this bike you should do so. To see a great looking
bike is one thing, but seeing a bike that has patriotism written all over it
well it makes you feel humble. Because the greatest price that any person can
give for his country is their life, just like Cody and his friends did on that
fateful day on October 30th, 2007.
Mrs. Pam Carver, Ms. Ashley Pearce, & Mr. Darrell
Carver
May God Bless Cody's
parents, Mr. Darrell and Mrs. Pam Carver for raising such a fine young man who
didn't have to die so young. PFC Cody M. Carver was just 19 years old. May God
also Bless the parents, families, and friends of SGT Daniel L. McCall, and SPC
Rush M. Jenkins.