BMW helping disabled vets get back behind the wheel
Kudos to the crew at BMW, who recently donated a few cars, a handful of instructors and one of its test tracks to an injured Marine training class. A group of soldiers wounded in Iraq were invited to the track to learn performance driving techniques behind the wheel of some seriously desirable machinery, including the 650i coupe on the right. The vehicles were modified in order to allow the disabled soldiers to operate them, some with hand controls for Marines who had lost their legs in battle. To operate the throttle, drivers pull back a hand lever and push forward to operates the brakes. Injured soldiers are provided with driver training after healing from their injuries. According to the Marines who attended the BMW training, though, the skills learned on the race track were much more thorough and will prove invaluable in their transition back to daily life.
[Source: The New York Times via Kicking Tires Photo: Chris Keane / NYT]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sam 7:15PM (8/29/2008)
That's awesome. Nice work, BMW. Giving respect where it is due to those who paid an incredibly high price.
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Alvin 7:33PM (8/29/2008)
Props to the Roundel from Munich. Taking tips from track racing is invaluable when it comes to improving general driving skills.
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Steve in KC 7:41PM (8/29/2008)
Kudos to BMW. Kudos, kudos, kudos. These veterans' government has not made life much easier for them in not adequately funding veterans' programs and health care, but BMW did something cool here. Way to go. For this, I will throw BMW into the mix next time I'm car shopping. This from an Acura aficionado.
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Alvin 9:18PM (8/29/2008)
Yep, makes me proud to drive a BMW. :)
Biomech 7:53PM (8/29/2008)
Very deserving people, glad to see BMW did this!
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Seminole 7:57PM (8/29/2008)
Glad to see I bought a car from a company that treats the troops like they deserve. Not to mention troops that aren't even from their own country!
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pmoney 8:13PM (8/29/2008)
Good job BMW
I believe this must be an outgrowth of their program in WTCC fitting alessandro zanardi's (who lost both legs in an earlier racing accident - champ car?) WTCC vehicle with some hand held controls allowing him to race the vehicle.
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Sharone 8:18PM (8/29/2008)
How many veterans can actually afford to buy and run a BMW? If they could most wouldn't end up in the marine corps in the first place!
Nice gesture by BMW, but it would be better if they did it quietly away from public and not for PR.
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Seminole 8:33PM (8/29/2008)
That's a pretty ignorant statement. Some people, no matter their personal wealth, want to serve their country. I'm assuming you've never heard of Pat Tillman.
Big Rocket 9:56PM (8/29/2008)
@Seminole: Problem is, not everyone in the military enjoys the same degree of financial security as Pat Tillman did. Let's say you joined the armed forces right after 9/11, just as Tillman did. According to the 2008 Basic Enlisted Military Pay Rates, your highest possible rank would be E-7, with a monthly salary of $2,982, or $35,784 a year, before taxes. Even with tax-exempt allowances, it would be exceedingly difficult to afford a BMW on a $36K annual salary.
Source:
http://www.navycs.com/08militarypaychart.html
Jrejre 10:00PM (8/29/2008)
PR isn't bad:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1828069,00.html
Seminole 1:23PM (8/30/2008)
Big Rocket,
Go over to the E90post forums. There are quite a few active duty soldiers on there. Keep in mind that while deployed they get to eat for free, live in a base for free, etc. All their medical needs are covered as well. So all that $36,000 goes straight into their pocket. They also get discounts on BMW's by being in the military. A lot of guys on E90 talk about ordering through military sales. So it really isn't as hard to do as you all seem to think.
RSDeuce 10:32AM (8/31/2008)
As an E-5 with a E46 BMW M3, I can say with a high degree of accuracy that our money isn't bad. Remember, housing and food are paid for separately, and with a balanced budget, nice cars are found all over any military base.
Still, awesome for BMW and I am a little prouder to be seen in mine... Good Job.
BoxerFanatic 8:39PM (8/29/2008)
Semper Fi, and thank you very much to all the service men and women who protect us all.
Kudos to BMW, good form.
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spdracerut 9:37PM (8/29/2008)
Don't forget about BMWs "Drive for the Cure" which raises money for breast cancer research.
I was going to comment also that BMW probably learned a bit from helping Zanardi get back into racing. It's nice to see a Company do something special to help a few out.
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Kevin 1:45AM (8/30/2008)
I'm happy that BMW is doing this, but I'm saddened and disgusted by our nation's subsequent treatment of Veteran's.
Why didn't Bush or Cheney go out there and fight the war? They should have been out there on the battle fronts losing their legs. Shoot, throw in McCain in the mix.
It takes real corporate initiative to do the right thing and in a time like this, kudos for BMW corporate for taking initiative and doing the right thing. Semper Fi!
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Graham 2:00AM (9/01/2008)
Wow, talk about a lot of people falling down over themselves to compliment BMW for what amounts to a very low cost marketing stunt. So the reward in this country for getting your legs blown off for Bush's folly is that you get to drive a BMW for a day. How about all the people who got rich off this war (Blackwater for example) who have enough money to BUY a BMW? This is really just a sad, sad footnote to a modern American disaster.
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aaron 3:33AM (9/04/2008)
Wow, are you kidding me Graham? The war hasn't gone very well thanks to bad planning from the start, but did you think out your entire post, or did you just vent in the wrong place? No and yep.
Marketing stunt? How about simple, good PR. I don't think sales will jump because of what BMW did. As a matter of fact, it's barely newsworthy despite the good cause.
E90Chris 8:34PM (9/03/2008)
@graham:
Hey, at least BMW is making their day just a little brighter. Nothing is going to rewind what has happened. I think this is a really cool gesture.
In my book, the reward for fighting for your country is knowing that you have earned your freedom and sacrificed part of yourself for your fellow countrymen. That guy "got his legs blown off" so you can sit at your computer at 2:00am and comment on blogs like a grumpy littlle bitch.
What have YOU and I done for disabled veterans? Is it really our place to knock this kind of thing down?
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