MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. -- Retired Air Force Col. Gary West took a break from his 2,500 mile
bicycle ride from Lubec, Maine to Key West, Florida, to be a part of a
special flag folding ceremony on Marine Corps Air Station New River,
Sept. 1.
West is riding as part of the Patriot Honor Ride with a special goal to
present 16 families with U.S. flags folded by American citizens as a way
to say thank you.
"I am riding for Folds of Honor who is a group that provides
scholarships to children and spouses of the fallen and disabled," said
West. "The other thing I am doing is engaging the public along the way
in flag folding ceremonies. We have 16 U.S. flags traveling with us;
each flag is dedicated to a family that has lost a loved one in service
to this country or has a disabled family member as a result of service
to this country."
"We are trying to fly these flags on as many places of history,
landmarks, places of interest along the way and engage the public with
ceremonial flag folding," said west. "This is not only a way for people
to say thank you to these 16 families, but through them to all families
who have lost loved ones."
For Marines who folded the flag, the ceremony was an opportunity to look
past their specific branch of service and pay their respects to fellow
service members.
"It is important to take care of your own," said Cpl. Reisner. "Right
now in our country not everyone is willing to take care of the military
and veterans specifically and there all kinds of statistics to prove it
but there are still those of us around who care and are willing to take
care of our own. If we don’t take care of our own, who will?"
West averages roughly 50 miles a day on his journey and is accompanied
by a team with bicycle parts, the flags and other supplies all while
engaging with the public in communities along the way. For the man
behind the handlebars, one symbol is a constant reminder of the
importance of his journey.
"The flag represents all of us," said West. "All that we stand for, all
who have come before us, all who will go behind us and when a soldier
has fallen that flag is draped over their remains, it’s a last embrace
of this nation to say ‘thank you for your sacrifice and for our
freedom’.
While West still has many more miles to travel, he says he has learned a
lot so far and the trips meaning is a reminder of a grateful nation.
"For me it’s a chance to reflect on those friends that I have who have
lost loved ones, that I came home after three combat tours and didn’t
sustain any injury but it’s also a chance to connect with other
Americans and let them touch the flags, fold the flags and in a way say,
‘ thank you’. I have been positively gratified by the sense of
patriotism we have seen. I kind of feel the country is in a bit of a
challenge at the moment and sometimes I wonder if enough people are
really aware of how many freedoms there are, how they are purchased and
how they are sustained. The response we have been getting from Maine to
here has really been a very encouraging and uplifting experience for
me."
More Media