by Michael Wing
America’s Truck has been rolling since former President Donald Trump was voted into office in 2016, parking its wheels in the National Mall in Washington for the first time that same autumn. A glorious American rapture on wheels—licked by fire and draped in stars and stripes—best describes this big rig semi-trailer truck owned by Brad Chase, 66, a trucker from Billings, Montana. He arrived and jaws dropped. Supporters of President Trump took the opportunity to do a walk around and touch and marvel at Chase’s masterpiece. Since then, he and his 18-wheeler, named “Forged by Fire,” have been lured around the country to attend patriotic events. In 2019, Mr. Chase, a former firefighter who hung his hat after 9/11, rolled down Interstate 75 with a motorcade of 60 Jeeps carrying Gold Star families. The path was all clear. A police escort on motorcycles held traffic at bay. All highway entrances and exits were blocked in a show of respect for the families as they were ushered to Cincinnati’s stadium on a red carpet. At the ballgame, the Leap Frogs—a precision parachute team of Navy SEALs—would descend into the stadium to great fanfare. A crack in his voice was heard as Mr. Chase spoke to The Epoch Times, recalling the moment.
The truck known as Forged by Fire, called “America’s Truck” by some. (Courtesy of Forged By Fire)
“Law enforcement shut down the interstate so that we could take these people up the interstate without any problems up to the ballgame,” he said, “honoring these people.” Mr. Chase has a brother who served on the USS Forrestal and a cousin in the Navy SEALs. His dad was a forest ranger, whom he fought wildland fires with until 1977 while living in Minnesota; afterward, he became a full-time firefighter for a decade longer. “I retired from fire service, I still needed something to give,” he said. “You just don’t stop being a policeman, you just don’t stop being a firefighter … and I needed to give something back.”
Flames engulf half of the semi-trailer truck devoted to honoring first responders. (Courtesy of Forged By Fire)
Forged by Fire on the road. (Courtesy of Forged By Fire)
The trailer depicts the history of America’s armed forces. (Courtesy of Forged By Fire)
Finding new purpose wasn’t difficult for Mr. Chase, as he saw that exactly what he was seeking had already been done. Semitrucks could be wrapped in fully customizable artwork, and the designer he had his sights on, Justin Pasky, worked for a company in Minnesota. They touched base, and Mr. Chase soon realized how difficult working with artists could be. After a few months of bugging Mr. Pasky, they finally came together to work on a wrap. And so began an ongoing endeavor for the pair, who didn’t always see eye to eye, to bring Mr. Chase’s key concepts of military, emergency medical services, police, and firefighters together on a grand scheme to tell America’s story—from George Washington Crossing the Delaware to the war in Afghanistan—and have one whole side engulfed in flames, honoring firefighters. There would be freedom given to the artist. Mr. Chase only had three rules: “First, we’re going to agree on a price; second, no skull and crossbones; and third, simple, I get the final say.” Fortunately, getting to work on a wrap that had guns was a rarity for Mr. Pasky, who tackled it with relish. There was back and forth between the artist and driver for four months, as Mr. Chase sent pictures to him while on the road. While Mr. Pasky had a story to tell, so did Mr. Chase, though they both knew what he wanted. In the end, though, it all came together in the most glorious and harmonious way, as if they both somehow lost control of the project and a higher power took over.
The design of the trailer in digital format. (Courtesy of Forged By Fire)
The wrap applied onto the semi. (Courtesy of Forged By Fire)
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