Key West Florida Weekly

FOR A WHEELIE GOOD CAUSE





 

 

THE WOUNDED PROJect will return to Key West Saturday, Jan. 7, for its annual Soldier Ride, a rehabilitative event in which combat-wounded veterans cycle from the Harry S. Truman Little White House to the Veteran’s Memorial at Bayview Park with supportive friends, family members and caregivers.

A $20 registration fee earns participants a T-shirt and the chance to aid the nonprofit Wounded Warrior Project’s mission to help heal the physical and psychological wounds of war.

Since the group’s inception in 2003, the Wounded Warrior Project estimates it has helped an estimated 100,000 veterans through programming that includes mental health support, physical therapy, employment services, peer mentoring and coordinated efforts with nonprofit groups such as The American Red Cross.

In cities nationwide, Soldier Rides range from epic four-day adventures to single-day celebrations, and have proven to be successful, with participation at around 1,600 per year. Key West, which boasts a sizable military population, has looked forward to its annual community ride with the Wounded Warrior Project since the program’s inception; the ride allows locals, visitors and participating veterans and caregivers to build camaraderie and physical fitness, both of which the WWP believes are integrally therapeutic to veterans attempting to reintegrate into civilian society after their service.

The adage “just like riding a bike” can prove especially poignant to veterans whose war injuries prevent them from riding traditional upright bicycles, or whose post-traumatic stress makes participating in large group activities or social gatherings particularly painful. The Soldier’s Ride aims to give veterans a safe space in which to reclaim feelings of pride, accomplishment, inclusion and encouragement; those unable to ride upright bikes are encouraged to participate with recumbent or hand-powered bicycles, while those suffering from post-traumatic stress often comment on the therapeutic effects of endorphins released from the ride’s physicality, paired with the opportunity to be surrounded by fellow soldiers who understand the difficulties of war and reintegration.

The bonds forged between soldiers during warfare are largely the result of having to adopt a radical altruism that, outside the battlefield, may not be understood by civilians. They are conscripted by duty to live by a different set of rules than those experienced by their non-military friends and family.

In her 2016 book “Strangers Drowning: Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Urge to Help,” writer Larissa MacFarquhar writes, “in war, what in ordinary times would be thought weirdly zealous becomes expected. In ordinary times, to ask a person to sacrifice his life for a stranger seems outrageous, but in war it is commonplace.” A return to society with different priorities can prove deeply distressing to soldiers, something to which the Wounded Warrior Project has worked tirelessly to bring to the public’s attention.

After a tumultuous 2016 that saw both its CEO and COO fired over allegations of misspending, the Wounded Warrior Project will attempt in 2017 to increase transparency, mitigate wasteful spending, and focus on its most effective therapeutic services, with an emphasis on mental health. The group also intends to bring attention to what it perceives as an egregious flaw in the current healthcare premiums charged to veterans. At present, the most seriously injured veterans are often forced to pay up to 400 percent more in premiums than their lesser injured comrades.

This year’s Key West Soldier Ride offers an opportunity for the community to show its support by lining the group’s route to cheer them on. ¦




U.S. Army Sgt. Wade Mitcheltree, right, and about 50 other wounded veterans of wars pedal their way across the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys in 2014, near Marathon. Mitcheltree lost his forearm and much of his right leg in Afghanistan in 2012. The event is staged by the Wounded Warrior Project to help restore injured soldiers’ physical and emotional well-being. This year’s event takes place Jan. 7.

U.S. Army Sgt. Wade Mitcheltree, right, and about 50 other wounded veterans of wars pedal their way across the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys in 2014, near Marathon. Mitcheltree lost his forearm and much of his right leg in Afghanistan in 2012. The event is staged by the Wounded Warrior Project to help restore injured soldiers’ physical and emotional well-being. This year’s event takes place Jan. 7.

Brandon Dodson and Flagler the dolphin splash each other at the Dolphin Research Center at last year’s event.

Brandon Dodson and Flagler the dolphin splash each other at the Dolphin Research Center at last year’s event.

The Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride 2017 route.

The Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride 2017 route.

 

 

 

 

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