MOORESVILLE – Sue Roberson has family that served in Vietnam and World War II. Roberson also has a history steeped in auto racing, so founding Manpower to Horsepower made perfect sense.
Manpower to Horsepower is a nonprofit that helps war veterans, offering automotive classes in areas like engine building and chassis setup.
“The guys build them, maintain them and drive them,” Roberson said. “This is a great place for them.” Participants at the school go through a semester similar in length to area universities and colleges, a little more than three months, Roberson said. Classes run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
“It’s for anyone who was in a situation where they didn’t think they could get back to do anything,” Roberson said. “A lot of guys end up staying on with our teams.” Many students at Manpower to Horsepower have traumatic brain injuries, Roberson said. Some had trouble adjusting to their post-war lifestyle.
“We had one guy that was locked in his house for 2 1/2 months and never left,” Roberson said. “He came over here. Now he’s here every day.” The race shop has become a bit of a safe haven for some participants. Roberson sees some students almost on a daily basis.
Private Emmett Thomas is one of them.
Thomas suffers from traumatic brain injuries from his time in Afghanistan.
For him, the race shop feels like a home away from home.
The race shop serves as an out-of-the-box therapy session for many veterans, because most of the people there can empathize with him, Thomas said.
“I’ll meet a guy for the first time, and it’s like I’ve known him forever,” Thomas said. “It really makes it a lot easier to cope with, because you’re dealing with people that have been where you’ve been.” Each class has between five and 15 members, Roberson said, and participants tend to find a special bond with one another that they might not normally be able to obtain.
“They talk with each other about things I know they don’t talk to their counselors about,” Roberson said. “I wish I had taken a video of the guys when they first showed up to where they were at the end of the semester.
It was a complete transformation; it was night and day.” Manpower to Horsepower holds an annual event that allows veterans to get out of the classroom – or garage – and onto the track, normally at Gastonia’s Carolina Speedway.
Students either ride along or drive their cars around the 4/10-mile dirt oval.
“It’s just all for their enjoyment,” Roberson said. “We usually just rent the track for the entire day and have a wonderful time.” Roberson would like to have the event in late October, but a date hasn’t been set.
“It’s a place where you can go and hang out if you’re having a bad day,” Thomas said. “It’s a different environment.
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