• Photo

Dan Kegley/Estevan Sotorosado, Perry Cloud, and James Beere from Ft. Campbell, Ky., greet local veterans at their Marion stop Monday on a 1,000-mile fund-raising trek to benefit wounded soldiers.

Sphere IT

Save This Page

Reader Reaction

Local veterans support Wounded Warrior Unity Tour

By DAN KEGLEY/Staff

The veterans and others who gathered in front of Marion’s town hall Monday morning thought they were waiting for the 9:30 a.m. arrival of three Army soldiers on motorcycles.
There was laughter when, an hour and 45 minutes later, three athletic men pedaled into view on bicycles for the Marion stop on their 1,000-mile Wounded Warrior Unity Tour 2008.
The soldiers, members of the Armed Forces Cycling Association, are riding 800 miles from Fort Campbell, Ky., to Fort Eustis between Sept. 18 and 25. They’ll add an additional 200 miles from Ft. Eustis to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., over Sept. 27 and 28.
The ride “aims to raise awareness of the continued support needed for military service members that have been injured while honorably serving overseas and the much needed support of their families,” an event release said.
Specifically, the ride is raising money for the Fort Campbell and Walter Reed Fisher Houses. “The Fisher House Foundation builds comfortable homes and lodging on the grounds of military hospitals and VA medical centers to enable family members to remain close to a loved one while the service member recuperates from his or her wounds,” the release said.
This was the first Wounded Warriors ride from Fort Campbell to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the second annual ride from Fort Eustis to Walter Reed.
Perry Cloud, Estevan Sotorosado and James Beere circled once on Main Street to applause from groups assembled on both sides of the street, and parked in front of the town hall. Driver Kevin Purdy drove a follow-up van.
“We’re getting to meet a lot of people and see lots of new country,” Cloud said.
Marion VFW Post 4667 donated $200, presented by Commander Herbert “Turk” Johnson.
The release said donations mentioning the Fort Campbell riders will be split between the Fort Campbell and Walter Reed Fisher Houses. Otherwise all of each donation will go to the Walter Reed Fisher House in Washington D.C. To make a donation, visit http://www.afca.us and mention the Fort Campbell riders.
The AFCA is also seeking any donations and contributions to support the riders on their journey. The donations will help offset expenses such as gas for the privately owned escort vehicles, food, lodging, nutritional supplements, and expendable items like tires, inner tubes, and bicycle maintenance parts, for the entire tour to include the vehicle ride home. To make a donation to the fund-raising effort itself, contact James Beere at .