Military members to honor wounded with cross-country bicycle journey

By Tara Jackson
Ride4theWounded

RALEIGH, N.C. — We remember our Soldiers and pay tribute to those who have served on Memorial Day every year. This year two young men who currently serve in the United States military will give back to their country by raising awareness and support for those who have been wounded by the war and lack of financial support to pay for their care. The charitable foundation of the Wounded Warrior Project was created to help those servicemembers. This is truly a commemorative cause that will take these two young men on a 78-day journey across America, traveling 55 miles a day.

Both Akron natives, Finley was in the Air Force National Guard for six years and served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Messenger, a Navy veteran, will trek across the country officially starting May 26. They will ride from Florence, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia, more than 3,000 miles between May and August.

When asked why they decided to ride across the country in support of the Wounded Warrior Project they simply stated: “We decided to do this for several reasons. We have both served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Neither of us saw combat, but we got a close look at the sacrifices that have been made by so many. We both knew we wanted to support veterans in some way, and we also knew we wanted some adventure in the process. We discussed a few different event ideas that were a little less ambitious, such as a cross-state walk or run, but neither of us felt that excited about those ideas. We realized that we both wanted to do something bigger. A long story short, we got off the phone with nothing more than a very serious commitment to helping our fellow veterans and a wild idea to ride our bikes across the nation”.

You can follow their journey on their website www.Ride4theWounded.com. If you want to find out how you can get involved in Ride4theWounded, visit their site where you can donate to either the Wounded Warrior Project or to Sponsor the riders journey; estimated cost for the entire trip per rider is $3,520.00. Currently, those sponsoring this event include Iron Cycles of Chicago, BikeTrailerShop.com and EdenScape.

About the Ride4theWounded:
In support of the Wounded Warrior Project, two military members will begin riding their bikes across the United States from May 2010-August 2010. This cause is to raise awareness for soldiers serving in the United States Military who have been wounded due to the war and have no financial support for their medical costs.

About the Wounded Warrior Project:
Wounded Warrior Project applauds President Obama for signing into law a measure that, for the first time, will ensure that families of veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan receive comprehensive, coordinated financial and other support that will enable them to provide these warriors with needed home-care.