Soldier Ride: An Opportunity to Support the Troops
by Wounded Warrior ProjectOn Friday, February 20th the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride comes to Los Angeles!
The event will start at 9 am at the Santa Monica Pier. Come out and ride along or just cheer on the wounded veterans and show your support. At 10 am the warriors will ride from the pier along the bike path to Venice Beach and Marina Del Ray. After a rest stop they will return to the pier. Total distance is 22 miles.
Friday’s ride is dedicated to the memory of Sgt. David Hart
There will be over 20 wounded heroes in attendance. Among them are:
1st Lieutenant Melissa Stockwell (US Army, Retired)
Melissa was the first female amputee from the war in Iraq. She was wounded on April 13, 2004 in Baghdad. Last fall Melissa again represented her country swimming in Beijing on the US Paralympics swim team.Sergeant Latseen Benson (US Army, Retired)
Benson was wounded on November 13, 2005 during his second tour in Iraq with the famed 101st Airborne Division resulting in the amputation of both of his legs. Sgt. Benson’s best friend in the Army was Sgt. David Hart. David was killed on August 8, 2008 during his second tour in Iraq. Nicole Hart, David’s widow, will be riding along with the wounded warriors. Wounded Warrior Project has dedicated the Soldier ride in California to the memory of Sgt. Hart.
Soldier Ride is a rehabilitative cycling program for wounded veterans. For many of these combat wounded veterans it is a way to return to an active lifestyle. Soldier Ride also allows the Wounded Warrior Project to bring its message to the public and raise awareness of its mission and the issues faced by wounded veterans.
1st Lieutenant Melissa Stockwell
These cyclists, many who have been severely wounded, want to give back. The Soldier Ride also helps to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project. Even though they have already given so much, they want to give this positive message to the public and pass the message on to the next group of wounded soldiers.
Many of these men and women have been physically active throughout their lives and are not going to lose that. They are going to get on the bike and prove to themselves “I can still do this.” Soldier Ride is not about the politics, it’s not about the war, it’s simply about the soldiers.
For more information please see woundedwarriorproject.org, wwpsoldierride.blogspot.com or “WWP Soldier Ride” on Facebook.
Honoring and empowering wounded warriors
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21 Comments
Excellent program. I hope you will come to Phoenix.
http://the100mostannoyingthings.blogspot.com/
Outstanding. I hope all of you in the L.A. area turn out for this very important event. Good luck and god speed warriors.
Great organization, Wounded Warriors. Have a fantastic ride!
Soldier Ride will be in Phoenix on Saturday, November 7, 2009 Details to be announced.
What a great chance for Hollywood to show their support for the troops – a ride in Hollywood's "hometown."
Hope the rain holds out! It's supposed to be a soggy weekend.
What a wonderful way to give back to those in service who give so much.
I got to shoot some video for WWP a couple of years ago. They have their heart squarely in the right place. Turning out for one of their events and supporting them does more for you than for them.
Saw some of these wounded warrior guys doing a triathlon, half-Ironman distance, a few months ago in Las Vegas. These guys, with artificial legs, come into the transition area, all stoic as hell, then take off running the 13-mile course, after having swum 1.2 and ridden 56.
Made me feel like an enormously insignificant human being, by comparison.
Yeah, do believe I'll be taking off a day from work next Friday. Abso-MFin'-lutely!
Sounds like a great time for a great cause. For those in Texas or Virginia, look into this cause as well. Ward Burton is doing his part for the wounded veterans…to the tune of 300 prime acres.
Texas A&M, Former NASCAR Driver Collaborating On Disabled Veterans Center
Address:http://www.kbtx.com/tamu/headlines/39559792.html
The cynic in me predicts the anti-war, anti-Bush libs will be out protesting this event. The Peoples Republic of Santa Monica is Ground Zero for hippie-liberals in L.A.
I have a request in with Patriot Guard. We'll see. Also, Soldier Ride is NOT about the war. It is about the soldiers.
WWP is not about the war either. I have been to several events and have never seen any protesters.
What a great program, many still don't realize the sacrifices that these young men and women give up day in and day out. God bless our military and all of you who put this project together.
Well, the nasty hippie-libs have managed (so far) to stay away from this post. Maybe there is hope.
Just wanted to clarify. Soldier Ride is a program of the Wounded Warrior Project. I am the Soldier Ride National Tour Director and a full time employee of WWP. I really appreciate Breitbart.com allowing me to post information about this inspirational event.
Thank you for your service and your sacrifices. I wish I could be there to watch these heroes in action. God speed and God bless.
[...] Soldier Ride will start at the Santa Monica Pier today at 9:30 am. [...]
Hello,
Does anyone know how to get a hold of Latseen Benson? I was hoping to find him because we share teh same biological dad and I wanted to tell him that i am his half sister but I don't know how to find him? Thank you guys!!
Join the virtual celebration and help support those that fight and have fought every day for us. We wanted to make it easier for those who can't attend the Boston Solder Ride to still be able to participate. http://www.virtualcelebration.com/join/754
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