PDA

View Full Version : Soldier Ride An "Amazing" Success



thedrifter
07-30-09, 09:06 AM
July 29, 2009Soldier Ride An "Amazing" Success

By Kitty Merrill

Right smack dab in the middle of the Hamptons social season, amidst a dizzying array of society gatherings and pricey galas peopled by star watchers bucking up to rub elbows with the glitterati, wounded warriors, marines and the East End's own local hero were the celebrities.

On Saturday, Soldier Ride The Hamptons to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project drew participants – bicyclists, runners and walkers -- topping the 700 mark, over a thousand spectators, and contributions surpassing $100,000.

The "amazing" day started at the Amagansett American Legion post, volunteer Reg Cornelia reported. Two little boys, Benjamin and William Barkoff, were given the honor of sounding the start of the ride. The pair raised $1800 for the wounded warrior Project, an organization dedicated to honoring and empowering wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Asked what he wanted for his fifth birthday, Benjamin declined gifts, requesting checks for WWP instead.

As the countdown to kickoff began, the boys were instructed to shout the words of patriots on United Flight 93, "Let's roll!" Observers said the turnout rivaled the numbers who gathered when

President Clinton came to town in the 1990s.

Over two dozen U.S. Marines from the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines rode in honor of fallen comrade Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter of Sag Harbor. It was the second year the event was dedicated to him, and made all the more bittersweet by news from Afghanistan, according to Haerter's mother JoAnn Lyles. On Friday, they learned that one of the men Jordan saved, Nicholas Xiarhos, from Massachusetts, had been killed. Marines inscribed the letter X on their arms as they rode Saturday, on bikes donated by Kent McDonald of Bermuda Bikes. Team Nasser, named for the checkpoint where Haerter gave his life, collected over $1900 for the ride.

As the marines, wounded warriors and supporters rode, walked or ran, each fire department along routes through Amagansett, East Hampton and Sag Harbor came out in dress uniform to honor Soldier Riders. Lyles noted hand-made signs carried by spectators along the roadways, and Chris Carney, one of the founders of Soldier Ride recalled crowds packing Main Street in Sag Harbor as he and the wounded warriors took an honor lap through town. A chopper flew overhead and, "As you can imagine, it shut down the streets of Sag Harbor on a Saturday in July. But, everyone could take five or 10 minutes out of their day to appreciate these guys. Even the people stuck in traffic jams were hanging out the window giving us the thumb's up."

"Everyone was just in awe of the wounded warriors," Lyles emphasized. "You wonder whether you can walk four miles and they can peddle 62 miles using just their arms."

Certainly on Saturday Soldier Ride fulfilled its two-fold mission – to raise money for wounded members of the Armed Forces and to help amputees embrace a new sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Soldier Ride started out as a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project, founder Carney reminded. Within a brief period it became a rehabilitation event for the soldiers themselves. Since 2004, the number of rides held across the country has grown, giving the amputees myriad opportunities to train, participate, and, above all, get out of the hospital among people. "If you lose a leg, you spend well over a year in rehab. It's isolating," Carney said.

The outpouring for the warriors and Haerter's comrades didn't end with the removal of bike helmets.

Saturday night's "Rock the Farm" event supported WWP and Soldier Ride, and on Sunday Bill Wilkinson of Montauk took the marines out fishing. A candidate for town supervisor, Wilkinson lauded the community's generosity and warmth toward the visiting soldiers and vets.

In fact, an impromptu barracks was created for Haerter's fellow marines at Pierson High School after the young men learned lodgings in the Hamptons during the season were not to be found. They brought their own cots and on Sunday night enjoyed grilled bass fresh from the fishing trip at Lyles's home.

By Monday afternoon, organizers were still gathering checks and tying up loose ends. Lyles summarized the weekend, the volume of participants, the community support, donations from local businesses and honors from fire department volunteers, and patriotic expression from spectators: "It was overwhelming."

kmerrill@indyeastend.com

Ellie