2018 Polaris General for Combat Wounded Marine, Jon Schumacher

In Warfighter Projects by Robert Blanton

When it comes to vets that are always looking out for others, Jon Schumacher and his wife Courtney, are second to none. Warfighter Made has wanted to build a vehicle for Jon for some time, but every time we mentioned it, without fail, he said we should give it to someone more deserving.

In December of 2017, after surprising another combat wounded vet with a Polaris General, we looked at Jon’s wife Courtney and said “Jon’s next”, but we’ll need her help to keep it quiet, while also getting her input to ensure it meets Jon’s needs. We made the call to Polaris and they sent out a “Black Pearl” 4 seat General, that we immediately loaded up and sent to Scott Bracci at Desert Works. Scott and crew have always given Warfighter Made one hundred percent when it builds vehicles for us, and Scott had a special interest in this build, so we knew we were going to get something special. What we got was a custom cage, with safari rack, and a winch controlled crane, that allows Jon to effortlessly lift items from the ground and put them in the bed, to include his wheelchair.

Thankfully, we have a lot of great manufacturers that enjoy supporting vets and make it easy on us when we call them up, because they immediately know it’s going to a great cause. SSV Works and Kicker were one such phone call, and SSV Works sent out their 5 speaker plug and play, Kicker Edition system. This system makes installation easy, and with 800 watts, a 10″ Kicker sub, Bluetooth connectivity and four kicker speakers in SSV Works enclosures, it cranks! The next call was to our friends at PRP Seats. We ordered their XCs to match the color of the machine, and with their low bolsters, it’ll make it easier for Jon to get in and out of. UTV Inc was also contacted, and they sent out their seatbelt brackets, which puts aftermarket harnesses, (in our case, PRP harnesses) in the proper orientation for an easy install.

Baja Designs sent out a 40″ OnX6 Arced light bar that we mounted in the safari rack, XLs Ambers for the front bumper, and S2s that we mounted high on the cage, facing to the rear to act as work lights. Those S2s will come in handy when Jon decides to take his General on a hunting trip since we also added the very versatile and handy Hook-A-Rack system on the rear of his machine. The Hook-A-Rack is an ingenious system that makes loading and hauling game back to base a snap.

Accessories are a big part of any build, and Assault Industries has a full assortment of needed add ons, that help you personalize your machine while making it more useful. We added their grill, Sidewinder Mirrors, and their quick release fire extinguisher, for added safety. With two Smittybilt winches we got from 4 Wheel Parts, the Baja Design lights and the Kicker Edition SSV Works system, we naturally added an Odyssey Battery to ensure Jon could make full use of his new accessories.

Of course, when you’re hunting, some of the really good spots aren’t the easiest to get into, so to ensure Jon’s General had all the on-road, and off-road prowess it needed, we added BFGoodrich KO2 All Terrains and KMC sent out their perfectly color-matched Addict 2, bead lock wheels.

When it comes to making machines capable for deserving vets, our man Adam at Axis Rod ends has been developing a manual hand control system for a few years and has been giving numerous combat wounded amputees the ability to get out and enjoy offloading, from trail riding to straight-up sending it in races. This machine is no different and is what makes this it “adapted to the injury” while everything above makes it “customized to the soul!”