Today was pretty uneventful. I fumbled around this morning and we ended up not leaving the KOA until after 1000hrs. I had an interesting conversation with a lady from Detroit though. I had stated that here it is coming up on 9 years that we have been at war in the Middle East and in the Global War On Terror and folks seem to be loosing site of the fact that we still have Troops on the ground, on the sea and in the air that are in harm's way everyday protecting our way of life. She admitted that when we were first engaging in this conflict she was attending prayer groups and spending her energy in other ways to show her support but recently she said it only comes to her mind on occasion. She said, though, that she was happy to have seen us as it has refreshed her drive to keep our Troops in the forefront of her thoughts. We had a very nice conversation and I left feeling that I was accomplishing what I had set out to do when I pedaled out of Houston. She took some photos and said she would pass them along to her friends and relatives. Now, perhaps it will spread a little further like ripples in a pond.
On 10 June 2007 my friend Matt Lammers, a Seargent with 10th Mountain Division, was injured when his vehicle was hit by an IED while on patrol in a Baghdad neighborhood. Matt was hit really bad. He lost both of his legs above the knees and his right arm above the elbow. He has spent the last two years working really, really hard to overcome many obstacles and now he has learned how to walk using prosthetic legs and can drink a can of soda with his prosthetic arm. He recently married Mary, another OIF Veteran, and they are expecting a child in January. I met Matt on the Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride in Texas in 2008. We rode modified bicycles provided by WWP from Brooke Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Matt rode a handcycle and I remember that we could not get his "training" prosthetic arm to stay on the crank so we, like all good Soldiers, resolved the problem with some trusty old speed tape! Matt hand pedaled his bike for 78 miles in 3 separate rides that week with one arm and a stump! Within a few miles the stress and sweat being dealt to his prosthetic arm rendered it inoperable. I was super impressed with Matt's determination and so very, very happy for him. I also remember that it was hot. And I mean Texas hot, which was unusual for early March. Matt was sweating buckets and he couldn't wipe the sweat or take a drink of water because he had the use of only his left hand. At no time, ever, during the entire ride did the smile fade from Matt's face. He was an inspiration to many, many people that week including myself.
On 13 November 2005 while on patrol near Mosul, Iraq my friend Latseen Benson, a Seargent with the 101st Airborne Division, was hit by an IED and lost his left leg below the knee and his right leg above the knee. He also sustained damage to his right hand, back and suffered internal injuries. I met Benson and his wife, Jessica, on Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride Texas in 2009. We started talking and then realized that we only lived about 10 miles apart in League City, Texas. This year's Soldier Ride started at Mellow Johnnies Bike Shop in Austin, Texas and continued to BAMC then on to NASCCAD. Unlike last year's ride this one was a total opposite weather wise; it rained the entire time and the temperature never got over 45 degrees. Even with the rain and cold we managed to have a really great time and Benson, not being one to smile at much of anything managed to crack a grin here and there. In Corpus we started the Lone Star Challenge from Minutemaid Park. When we got there it was raining and cold and nobody was really prepared as far as proper clothing and there were a lot of shivering Soldiers standing around in groups under the few available canopies. I seriously considered staying on the bus in the heat but Benson psyched me into wanting to ride. Then, when I got geared up and ready to go I was amazed to see every single Soldier we brought out there on bikes, in the cold rain ready to ride. There were Soldiers missing limbs, Soldiers covered with 3rd degree burn scars, Soldiers with traumatic brain injury scars and not one of them sat on the bus. To the man they lined up for the start. Benson and I rode together and managed to complete the ride even with the nasty weather. After returning home Benson & I have continued to ride together and have grown to be very good friends. One day there was a knock upon my door and when I opened it there stood Benson on his new prosthetic legs! I said, "dang, I don't remember you being that tall!"
Soldier Ride is only one of the many programs offered by Wounded Warrior Project. While I consider Matt & Benson my close friends now, I met a bunch of truly great Heroes while on Soldier Ride; all of whom have benefited from this great program. Please keep our Troops in your thoughts and support them by donating to WWP by clicking the button on the to left of this page.
Let us see what tomorrow brings...
Enjoy the Ride!
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