THE TENSION: Ohio Guard Soldier Featured on TLC's "American Chopper"

Pfc. Joseph S. Scheibe, a recent Ohio recruit, was one of four troops whose ideas were selected in a national contest and incorporated into the motorcycle's final design. The Patriot Chopper's front wheel design (shown here) was one of Scheibe's design concepts. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Kim Snow, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs.)

Pfc. Joseph S. Scheibe (right), a recent Ohio Army National Guard recruit, poses with Chief Warrant Officer David Vazquez next to the National Guard Patriot Chopper during a Sept. 27 unveiling ceremony at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va. Scheibe and Vazquez were two of four troops whose ideas were selected in a national contest and incorporated into the motorcycle's final design. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Kim Snow, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs.)

Mikey (from left), Senior and Paulie, from the Learning Channel's popular TV series 'American Chopper,' unveil their new "Patriot Chopper," commissioned by the National Guard and designed by National Guard troops during a Sept. 27 ceremony at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va. Pfc. Joseph S. Scheibe, a recent Ohio recruit, was one of four troops whose ideas were selected in a national contest and incorporated into the motorcycle's final design. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Kim Snow, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs.)

On the Home Front:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- One of the Ohio Army National Guard's newest Soldiers has already left a lasting mark on the organization at a national level.

Pfc. Joseph E. Scheibe, who is assigned to the Newton Falls-based 1192nd Engineer Company, was recently featured on the The Learning Channel's popular television series "American Chopper" after his design for the National Guard "Patriot Chopper" motorcycle was selected as one of four winners in a national design contest.

Scheibe entered his design while drilling with the Recruit Sustainment Program in the North Canton-based Company E, Recruiting and Retention Command, after some prodding by northeast recruiting Sgt. Maj. Scott E. Hutt.

"Sergeant (Major) Hutt came over and said 'The Guard's going to build a bike,'" Scheibe said. "And he said, 'I know you can do it. So get it done.' So I said 'Hooah!'"

After mulling it over, Scheibe decided on a design concept highlighting both aspects of the traditional guard member, both the citizen and the Soldier, he said.

"The whole design stayed the same, the paint and the sheet metal. But you could snap pieces on, weapons, grenades, bayonet handlebars...once you attach the pieces, it's battle dressed," he said.

The new recruit, who had not yet even left for basic training, submitted his design and soon after, left for a family vacation in Florida, Myrtle Beach and colonial Williamsburg. While he was away, his recruiter, Sgt. Matthew Locker, got the call that Scheibe's design had been chosen.

In August, Scheibe and two of the three other contest winners, Chief Warrant Officer David Vasquez of Colorado and Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Billet of Georgia, visited the Orange County chopper fabrication shop in Montgomery, N.Y., where they filmed the first part of the show. The fourth winner, Rich Crawford of Illinois, was deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

"Those guys are really fun. They were pretty pumped up about the bike. They are so patriotic," Scheibe said. "(Paul Teutel) Senior looks all intimidating, but he's a really nice guy. (Paul Teutel) Junior really thought the wheel design with the spearheads was cool. And Mikey (Teutel) was great, he really lightened the mood."

During the visit, they got to see a draft of the final design and witness part of the production process. They also got to spend some time with the central cast of "American Chopper," the boisterous Teutel family.

"They brought us into the shop and they were wearing ACU shirts," Scheibe said with a laugh. "They were having a war with airsoft guns. After the event, I went back up with Dave Vasquez and they took us through the machine shop and showed us all their neat, expensive toys."

A month later, Locker accompanied Scheibe, along with Scheibe's wife, Melissa, to the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va., where they again met up with Vasquez and the Teutel family to film the second part of the show. During the Sept. 27 unveiling ceremony there, they were finally able to witness the fruit of their collective labors.

The bike's final design incorporated several of Scheibe's concepts, including chromed grenades down the front tube, an M-4 rifle attached to the side and his personal favorite, spearhead-shaped wheels, with the words "paratus preliator" which translates from Latin to "prepared warrior."

Scheibe reported for basic combat training in October and in mid-January reported for advanced training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He is scheduled to return to his unit and his current job-a full-time student-in March.

A civil engineering major at Stark State College, Scheibe had long dreamt of enlisting in the National Guard. He had several friends in the Guard and at 37, he knew his window of opportunity was rapidly shrinking. However, the timing just hadn't seemed right for this husband and father of three, who also owned a collision repair shop.

"I sold the shop to go back to school and join the Guard," he said. "I'd been kicking it around for a couple of years. I'd always wanted to do it and my kids were getting a little older. Everything just sort of lined up and I thought 'It's now or never.' I'm glad they upped the age limit, because for a minute, it was never."

(Story by Staff Sgt. Kimberly Snow, 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

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