James “Bear” Bearden’s mission in life, he says, is “to share God, Christ and recovery,” and his multiple tattoos, biker jacket and headband proclaim it.
One of the multiple patches on his jacket says loud and clear, “I ride with Jesus” and another says “ Cry Freedom John 8:32,” a biblical verse which reads, “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Should there be any doubt about the spiritual appropriateness of Bearden’s wardrobe, which is complemented by an earring and a necklace with a solitary bear claw, there is another patch on his jacket which simply states, “These are my church clothes.”
Bearden is a supporter of the Christian Motorcycle Riders Association and on occasion has traveled with the likes of the late James “Stroker” Wiggs, Neal Benschoff and others carrying the message of redemption to startled bar flies at saloons and other watering holes.
Bearden’s journey to sobriety began 12 years ago at the Fort Roots veteran’s hospital in North Little Rock, Arkansas where he sobered up and was “delivered” nine months into the hospital’s program of recovery. He has worked at the VA hospital ever since and now drives a tractor-trailer as part of his job.
Bearden’s program of recovery includes regular attendance at 12-Step meetings, sometimes as many as five a day, when he feels the need for it. He gives his testimony when asked and regularly mentors others seeking recovery.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1953, Bearden was a fair student in high school, lettered in three sports and had his first drink when he was in the tenth grade. He graduated from high school and entered the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
After a semester, Bearden quit college and, at age 20, joined the Navy. After boot camp at Naval Station Great Lake he was assigned to the USS California, a cruiser operating out of Newport News, Virginia where he maintained an apartment, drove a ’69 mustang with an 8-track and began smoking pot.
The California operated mainly in the Atlantic and, while the Vietnam War was still going on, Bearden never served in the Far East. Mustered out in 1976, Bearden sold the Mustang, bought a Harley and over the next 24 years became a mainlining methamphetamine addict and drug dealer.
Bearden went to prison three times for selling drugs, married three times, divorced three times and worked on inland waterway towboats to finance his drug dealing operations.
His first arrest was in Memphis in 1979, and he did six months for drug dealing at Tennessee’s Turney Center prison. Ten years later he was sentenced to 15 years to life at Cummins prison in Arkansas for drug dealing and ended up serving three years. (He was also “rebaptized” in the Christian faith at Cummins). Ten years after his release from Cummins he did 14 months at the Brickey’s prison in Pine Bluff, also for drug dealing.
Prison life, Bearden says wasn’t so bad. You got three meals a day, a cot, some leisure time and a respite from a life on the streets living out of dumpsters and fending off people who wanted to kill you. Bearden carried six or seven knives, rather than a gun, to protect himself and was not afraid to use them.
It was the same in the prison yard, Bearden says. “You can’t back down. I had to stand my ground a couple of times and after that they leave you alone.”
In 1999, after serving his time at Brickey’s, Bearden found himself in desperate circumstances in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with winter coming on.
He had gotten another towboat job, flunked a drug test and had been fired. He had less than $100 in his pocket and wanted desperately to get to Fort Roots, the North Little Rock VA hospital, but he also desperately wanted a drug fix.
Bearden made a bargain with himself that if the bus ticket was more than $50, he wouldn’t take it and would, instead, spend the money on drugs. When he went to the ticket window, the clerk told him the ticket to Memphis was $50 even, and Bearden took it.
He hitchhiked from there to North Little Rock and arrived at the Fort Roots doorstep on December 7. He was suffering from both diabetes and hepatitis and at 320 pounds was more than 100 pounds overweight. He said he would do whatever it took to get in.
Fort Roots arranged for him to be detoxed over the next five days and from there they sent him to Recovery Centers of Arkansas (RCA) for its VA drug program.
After more months of treatment at the VA hospital at Fort Roots, the hospital in March 2000 hired Bearden as a full-time housekeeper. After a year he moved to groundskeeper, then motor vehicles and finally to tractor-trailer operator driving mainly between Little Rock and Memphis.
“The VA saved my life,” Bearden says.
Bearden lives simply in a small apartment, but one of the things he did after he began working was to borrow $16,000 from the VA to buy his Victory brand motorcycle. He calls it his “victory bike,” in recognition of his triumph over drugs, and riding it is his principal recreation. He is also an avid bowler who averages 194 a game and, as a former athlete, he jogs for his health.
Bearden says he has made most of his amends to former spouses and others and regularly, he adds, sees one of his children, a daughter, Rhiannon. He is active in the VA mentoring program, attends a lot of 12-Step meetings and helps recovering addicts whenever he can.
He also spreads the gospel.
