Street to Strip

This national project is in memory of all the teenagers and young men that defended our freedom from Guadalcanal to Normandy.  It is for the families that grieve over the loss of loved ones that died unnecessarily in preventable auto crashes on American streets and highways.  We make those losses count for something positive to bring a greater appreciation for life in the students that enter our classroom. 

A NATIONAL COMMUNITY YOUTH DRIVER EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION PROGRAM.

The NATIONAL DRAG SCHOOL is the first and only behavioral driving school of its kind in the nation.  45 years of training, interviews and experiences stand behind this program.  You will see nothing like this anywhere.  2011 will be our 7th season. Our students come from the street, parents and probation and there is no tuition.   We build leaders and champions through the experiences of others... 

Welcome to America's NATIONAL DRAG SCHOOL...  

"The approach you have taken to addressing the carnage and dangers of street racing... is actually a model (program) for how a variety of other solutions regarding issues affecting young adults in this country could be fashioned."  Mayor Stephen Reed, Capitol City Harrisburg  

It begins with understanding COURAGE, RESPECT and DISCIPLINE... and how fragile life really is.  Too many young people seek respect on the street following the poor examples of so called 'friends'... which usually ends in tragedy.. so we start with giving them some positive examples...

When Wy Butterfield of Pennsylvania  stepped aboard the USS JUNEAU he was 18 years old.  By age 19 he would have survived the horrorfic nightime naval gun fight off the island of GUADALCANAL.  Having survived that night, Wy's greatest test in life would come the next day when the JUNEAU would sink after being torpedeoed.  Again a survivor, Wy and nearly 200 young men and 'teenagers' floated in the Pacific awaiting rescue that never came for 7 days.  The enemy was now the sun by day, the cold by night and the sharks every minute.  Wy was one of 10 survivors of the JUNEAU.  His experiences taught him to appreciate life.  We do the same in the National Drag School.

While the JUNEAU fought at sea, ashore on GUADALCANAL, Harry Horseman of Massachusetts, celebrated his 19th birthday with a massive shelling from the big guns of Japanese battleships.  He survived that night and months of hand-to-hand fighting that followed. 

ARE YOU UNDERSTANDING YET? 

These two 'teenagers' are an example of the thousands that were the only defense and the desperate hope of America in the dark times of 1942.  Today, we use their experiences and so many others, including survivors of the German battleship BISMARCK to open the eyes of young drivers into the reality of life, courage, respect, discipline and surviving extreme situations.  It is through those experiences and the experiences of families that grieve over the loss of loved ones killed in senseless auto crashes that we bring teenagers and young adults into maturity. 

"Every class welcomes a visit from the US Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard brings a positive example and opportunity to our classroom.  Here's members of our 2010 group.  Your donations help us provide an outstanding educational program.  This program is a gift of life in memory of so many that died in conflict... and those that were unnecessarily killed on our highways." 

We may have to step aboard FLIGHT 93 to understand what it is to face a difficult decision in an instant; something no immature street racer or aggressive driver will ever encounter.  Maybe we'll go ashore with a 15 year old at Iwo Jima in 1945.  Perhaps we'll learn the definition of 'staying calm' in the face of extreme danger and land a passenger jet on the Hudson River in 2008.  These situations and many others are presented in such a way that the eyes of young students begin to see themselves and how they interact with their friends in a different light. 

AND YES, WE GO DRAG RACING TOO!  

Why Drag Racing?  

Sportsman drag racing provides us the opportunity to demonstrate the difference between  'showing-off' (speeding)  on city streets and real legal sportsman drag racing!   Besides, drag racing is the only motorsport that truly provides a public safety service to a community and this program is about safety because safety saves lives.

NO FEE IS CHARGED FOR THIS 2/3-week program.  It is completely funded through private donations and the fund- raising efforts of the U505 Drag Racing Team USA.

6000 young drivers ages 16-25 die every year in auto crashes, this does not include those of other ages they kill.  In fact, more people have died on American highways than all Americans killed in World War II; nearly 40,000 every year!. 

Furthermore, failure to teach young drivers positive driving habits costs American society 100 billion dollars a year!  It extends beyond the loss of life and property damages, into the tens-of-thousands that are incarcerated and those on probation without driving privileges, unable to find gainful employment.  It is a costly burden on our economic and social life.  

Our U505 goodwill team volunteers our time and efforts to educate the public, media and young drivers through our National Drag School project.  What they learn in our classroom is not taught anywhere.  It centers around a two/three week program covering all aspects of driving a vehicle and the responsibilities that go with that privilege.  Street safety, defensive driving, understanding consequences of DUI, inanttention is a priority, but having a greater 'respect for life'  is paramount in our classroom. 

Our program is endorsed by public officials and police departments.  It is completely funded by the fund-raising efforts of the U505 Team.  No student is charged any fee; our efforts are about 'life' not profits.

    A LITTLE ABOUT OUR TEAM....  

U505 Drag Racing Team USA is named after the capture of the German U-boat 505 by American sailors, June 1944, off the coast of Africa.  Today the U505 is a prize museum piece at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago as a memorial to those that lost their lives in the Atlantic War.  School children now tour the U505 and learn about courage and sacrifice. We have met veterans from both sides of the capture.

  Always remember to thank a veteran for your freedom and love your family every day, slow to anger, quick to forgive.