‘Team Timmy’ motorcycle Ride for Life taking place Saturday

On Saturday, June 1, the “Team Timmy” (motorcycle) Ride for Life will take place with sign ups at the Candor Town Hall, located at 101 Owego Rd., beginning at 9:45 a.m. There will be a service at Captain Neild’s burial site at 11 a.m., followed by a group photo at the Maple Grove Cemetery Veterans Memorial at 11:15 a.m. and a brief safety meeting. Kickstands are up at 11:30 a.m. 

The ride is approximately 135 miles long, taking about three hours to complete with two stops, the first being in Whitney Point, N.Y., and the second at Hickories Park in Owego, N.Y. for a brief ceremony at the 911 Memorial. 

The ride will then continue and culminate at the Double Down’s Bar & Grill, located at 21 Mill St. in Candor, where a Chicken BBQ will be held along with other refreshments and a DJ for music entertainment. 

This is a police escorted ride for added security and traffic control. They also radio ahead to townships on the route to assist with local traffic. 

The cost is $10.00 per motorcycle; there will also be “Team Timmy” T-shirts and helmet liners available for sale. All proceeds benefit the “Team Timmy” Scholarship Fund, established for a graduating Candor senior who plans to attend college or a trade school. 

Tim Neild lost his life in October 2017 to what his father, Rick Neild, refers to as Military Suicide. 

Rick stated, “It is our desire and mission to bring to the forefront many issues that our returning soldiers are forced to deal with upon their return from duty as they prepare to resume their civilian lives. Some of the most prominent are PTSD, TBI’s along with other physical and mental injuries they may have acquired during their service.” 

Tim was a Candor High and Tompkins County BOCES graduate. After graduation he became a member of the Army National Guard. After completion of Basic Training, Tim began his employment career with the skills that he had learned while going to BOCES as a carpenter’s apprentice. He then established his own business, and after a few successful years decided it was time to go back to school and get a degree. 

Tim then attended and graduated from SUNY Delhi, and it was while attending Delhi that he was recommended to become a military officer. Upon graduation he applied and was accepted to attend SUNY Binghamton, of which he graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Shortly after graduation he attended the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School, and upon graduation received his commission as a US Army Officer with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Tim served his country very honorably during his military career. After attaining the rank of Captain, he was made commander of both the West End Armory of Binghamton and the Armory of Horseheads. He then became an aide and a General’s driver before becoming attached to the 27th Armory of Syracuse and as he prepared for his deployment to Afghanistan. 

It was upon his return, according to Rick, that issues began to arise. He had some difficulty in re-inserting into the civilian part of his life; there is no on/off switch to leave a combat situation and blend into regular society. With difficulties mounting in the workplace and on the homefront, and between working, building a new house and training, along with PTSD and TBIs, a lot was on his plate. 

In December of 2013, Tim suffered a near fatal traffic accident on Route 90, just outside Syracuse, where he was knocked unconscious and trapped in his burning vehicle.  

Rick stated, “We almost lost him then, if six great people had not stopped at the scene to assist he would have burned to death.” 

As a result, Tim was in a coma with several broken bones, along with third and fourth degree burns up and down his right side. After his stay at Upstate Medical in Syracuse and Sunny View near Albany, Tim spent a little over two years at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Bethesda, Md. To top it off, he went through a divorce and was given a medical discharge from the Army. 

Sadly, with all of this, he was having great difficulty getting and receiving aid and medical assistance from the VA and other sources, leaving him in somewhat of a hopeless state, and then he was gone. 

The good news is that since this tragic loss many things have improved greatly. The military now recognizes the trauma both to the individual soldier along with their families regarding PTSD, TBI’s, and other issues soldiers deal with upon their return.  

Rick added, “Fortunately, Tioga County has an outstanding Veterans officer in Mike Middaugh and his staff, who are ready and willing to give these veterans in need the proper guidance and resources, sometimes just an attentive ear to listen. So please, if you’re in need, reach out, ask and get help, we don’t want anyone to go through what we have experienced.”

Scott Smith & Son Inc., Carstar Auto in Owego, Power and Paddle and the Shoe Outlet, Curcio Printing, Home Central and others have reached out to support this event.

To learn more, you can find “Team Timmy” on Facebook.