Witnessing History's Heroes

I was excited to be a witness to the start of the Soldier Ride from Washington, D.C., Baltimore to Annapolis, Md., from April 23 to 27.


It was an honor to hear the speeches by some of the presenters to include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen; Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice; and the Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England. The speeches were rounded out by the send off of the wounded warriors to embark on their Soldiers Ride. It was touching to see President George H.W. Bush warmly shake all of the soldiers’ hands prior to their send off. You can tell that the president deeply thanked them for their sacrifice.

The Soldier Ride is sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. The Project’s Web site states that it is a “rehabilitative cycling program for wounded warriors. For many of these combat-wounded veterans, Soldier Ride provides the first steps in the return to an active lifestyle.” As a service member, I am deeply thankful for the wounded warriors' sacrifices.