Since departing San Diego, the ride has made stops in Houston, Texas, Naples, Florida, and Columbia, South Carolina as part of his initiative to raise awareness and funds for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). One regular guy and patriot working hard to make a difference.
Along the way, Howard is meeting great folks, like at Stubbs Harley-Davidson in Houston, Texas.
And in Naples, Florida.
And members of Combat Vets Association as they raise the national colors.
Of course, most of the time, Howard is on his bike, logging mile after mile.
In the mind of this retired Marine, the conclusion of the recent wars has been bittersweet. As our Armed Forces returned home to their loved ones, many came back wounded, visibly and invisibly. And they will always be the wounded. As a friend, an Army officer who lost part of a leg in Iraq, told an audience once, he'll never be "unwounded." He'll not wake up one morning to find that his leg grew back overnight.
That he and others will always be wounded illustrates that we must not permit the tolls of war to slip from our national consciousness. Unfortunately, an analysis of post war history paints a rather bleak picture. And this is why Howard's amazing journey is so important. Without patriots like him constantly reminding us of the costs of war, our wounded will continue to suffer. Suffering that continues, even as we see the Veterans Administration (VA) struggle. (For example, recent reports indicate the wait times have actually increased by 50% since the scandal broke a year ago.) So it is left up to organizations like WWP to fill the gap.
And it is the sole individual, the one man, who makes a difference. A patriot like Howard Phillips.
Help get the word out, so he can be supported as he finishes the remainder of the 12,000 miles saying thank you. Coming up are rides in Boston, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Wall, South Dakota.
No comments:
Post a Comment