Seamus Garrahy, a former Marine and Gettysburg resident known for his care and support of soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, hosted dinner Friday night for the Face of America 2007 riders.
Under a tent in his backyard large enough for the 250 riders and their friends and families, Garrahy welcomed the group that included many former and current members of the military, and reminded them “that you are sitting on hallowed ground.”
It was near the end of his lawn, he said, that Gen. George Pickett buried his dead after the third day of the battle that would decide the Civil War. That was as somber as things got as the riders, which include about 100 soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq, came together in high spirits to kick off this remarkable two-day, 110-mile ride from Gettysburg to Bethesda.
There were amazing and inspiring people everywhere you turned.
Nathan Potts, a veteran who had his leg amputated in January 2006, rode the Face of America 2006 ride the following April, and completed the entire ride. “I had a goal and I achieved it,” he told the group to cheers and applause.
I talked to Eric Weihenmayer, a blind cyclist, skier and accomplished mountain climber from Colorado who has written books and who is on the board of directors of World T.E.A.M. Sports, the group sponsoring the ride. Eric and his father rode a tandem on World TEAM's ride across Vietnam some years ago, and he's been involved with the organization ever since.
Chad, a veteran from Texas who was wounded in the head in Iraq and lost 30 percent of his frontal lobe, will be participating with his mother, Vicky, who has become an advocate for wounded soldiers.
The “team” in World T.E.A.M. Sports stands for “The Exceptional Athlete Matters,” and there are indeed exceptional athletes assembled here.
Doug Levy, an able-bodied athlete who is entered in the Race Across America (RAMM) for 2008, began volunteering for World T.E.A.M. events last year. He described the unique aspects of the Face of America Rides.
“This is not a club ride and it's not a race,” he said. “We're all here to help each other.”
Or as Artie Guerrero, a long-time World T.E.A.M. member and wounded Vietnam veteran put it, “We all ride the same road.”
The ride starts off from the hallowed ground of Gettysburg Saturday morning at 8 a.m., and ride organizers assured all riders that the course is a challenging one. From what I saw, no challenge would be too great for these riders.
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