By MC3 Jonathan Idle

The first military chapter of the Harley Owners Group (HOG) was officially opened at a meeting Oct. 23 on the support side of Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella.
HOG is the officially sanctioned motorcycle club of Harley Davidson which has over 1,400 chapters in 130 countries worldwide.
Kris Schoonover, Director of HOG Field Operations, oversaw the inaugural meeting of the Sigonella Military HOG Chapter.
“The reason that this is a big deal is because this is a military dedicated HOG chapter,” Schoonover said. “It’s basically meant to feel like a U.S. chapter that is not on U.S. soil. It’s just a way to promote camaraderie, to promote riding and having fun.”
Louis Genaro, president of the new Sigonella chapter, believes this new chapter is a great step forward for HOG and its relationship with the U.S. military.
“In my view I think it’s historic because it’s the first military chapter,” Genaro said. “This will put Sigonella on top and hopefully expand out to other military bases as Harley Davidson expands.”
Genaro believes the Hog chapter will bring service members a much needed taste of home while also allowing them to bond with local nationals through joint events with local motorcycle chapters.
“We’re planting a seed and we’re going to watch it grow,” said Genaro. “That’s what’s going to happen here and we’re going to have great benefits reaped from it with the community and the culture. Obviously we have relationships outside of the base and that’s going to grow more and more.”
Schoonover covered some of the perks for members of HOG including a subscription to HOG Magazine, roadside assistance and numerous corporate partnerships, but he believes those are all just secondary to real reward of being a member of HOG.
“The amount of connections and friends that people make just by being a member of HOG is amazing,” Schoonover said. “ I’ve had some fantastic conversations with people that I would never have talked to, but I happen to recognize the HOG symbol and just start conversations which lead to further friendships. HOG is brotherhood, it’s a sisterhood, it’s a family and it’s just a great organization to be a part of.”