BOISE, Idaho — Marine veteran Casey Carlise took his own life in 2018 dealing a huge blow to his family, friends, and the off-road community.
"He was a father of two beautiful little girls, he was a brother, and he was my son," said Don Carlisle back in 2019. "I couldn’t ask for anybody else."
Don created Casey's Smile to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental health. Every year around Casey's birthday, they host 'Wheeling for the Struggle' where people come together to camp and go off-road, it happens this Friday through Sunday.
"We encourage people to come out camp and reset their mind," said Don Carlisle. "Saturday evening, we feed everybody that shows up. And this year we have a gentleman that is going to come and play some music around our campfire."
The fireside chats around the campfire provide a forum for people to talk about their problems while also giving family and friends a chance to honor Casey.
“He was a really good kid," said Michael Johnson of Casey's Smile. "We just want to help people. That is pretty much what Casey’s Smile is for, we just want to help people that need help."
They do it by sharing a passion of getting out into nature and playing around in their souped-up rigs, off-road machines and ATVs on a 46-mile ride on Saturday morning.
"There are no worries, there are no cares, I can do what I want and full send it," said Army veteran Dan Olcott. "If I break something, oh well, I’ll fix it."
The event starts on Friday Night at Grimes Creek and finishes up on Sunday morning, providing a good opportunity for anyone interested in off-roading a chance to find their community, pay tribute to a Marine, and heal at the same time.
"People aren’t the only ones, if they think are," said Olcott. "A lot of times, I feel like I am because I have PTSD from being in the military and being deployed, but I know I’m not the only one and this [event] helps with that."
Don Carlisle merged Casey's Smile with a Facebook group called 4Lo Idaho Off-Road to put together 'Wheeling for the Struggle'.
We caught up with volunteers from this group back in August when they cleaned up campsites along Grimes Creek, they even hauled out an abandoned gooseneck trailer that had been deserted and sitting up there for several months.
