Wounded warrior cyclists stop off at Fort Hood on 400-mile ride

By CHUCK TAYLOR

Cove Leader-Press

Wednesday morning, Fort Hood was a stop off point for over 100 injured warriors and their rider assistants as they rode their bikes, some very specially modified, from the George H W Bush Museum in Houston 400 miles to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington. This group of very special people was greeted all along their route as they traveled between 50 and 75 miles a day. The Troops of Fort Hood lined the circular driveway around the front of III Corps to greet the riders as they arrived with a police escort. The journey is part of the Honor Ride series held by Ride 2 Recovery, a group dedicated to helping veterans on their roads to recovery. The group sponsors Honor Rides in Las Vegas, Chicago, Sacramento, Orange County Cal., as well as New Hampshire and other locations throughout the country. The Honor Rides Series raises awareness and is the funding arm for Ride 2 Recovery and gives the public the opportunity to ride with healing heroes and enlisted military on a non-competitive, fun ride. All funds raised through the Honor Ride Series support Project Hero programs throughout the US. Timothy Brown, age 31 and a medically retired Staff Sergeant in the United State Marine Corps, said he was injured four years ago in Afghanistan by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and lost both legs and one arm. Brown, who makes his home in the Washington, D.C. area, said most of his rehab is done and he has not and will not allow these injuries to deter him from leading a full life and continuing to honor his fellow wounded soldiers, regardless of what branch of service they served in. The group had come through College Station, Texas on Tuesday and Brown said that he was a bit surprised that the A&M Corp of Cadets had not turned out to greet them. However, he said that “it was all good” and that Texans had turned out to greet them along almost their entire route thus far. The riders then left Fort Hood and proceeded to their next stop in Waco. They intend to arrive in Fort Worth sometime today, regardless of what the weather may throw at them.