BALTIMORE COUNTY — Wounded warriors rolled through the Baltimore area this week as part of a 1,000-mile cycling journey from Jacksonville, Florida, to New York City.
The Soldier Ride 250, hosted by Wounded Warrior Project, brought veterans together from across the country to highlight the healing power of movement, camaraderie and community.
The riders made a stop in White Marsh after traveling through the Baltimore area. They are expected to continue north and reach Ground Zero in New York City on Friday.
For the veterans taking part, the ride was about much more than miles.
Bruce Cooper served nearly 25 years between the Army and Air Force Reserve. He said he retired because of medical reasons after what he described as “three bad days,” including sarin exposure, an injury from a dropped box and being blown up.
Cooper used a hand cycle during the ride and said being able to get outside with other veterans gave him a renewed sense of freedom.
“Getting out on the bikes ... it gives me wings,” Cooper said.
He said many veterans return home and struggle with isolation. For him, Soldier Ride 250 created an instant bond with others who understood what it meant to serve, heal and keep moving forward.
“You bond again. It’s like family again,” Cooper said.
That bond was clear between Cooper and James Bauer, even though the two had only met the day before.
Bauer served as a combat medic in the Army. He enlisted in 2005 and was medically retired in 2013 after an injury during his second deployment.
Bauer said Wounded Warrior Project often uses the phrase “movement is medicine.” For him, that message was personal.
“When I medically retired, I was so focused on what I couldn’t do anymore,” Bauer said.“It was just a reinforcement and a confidence builder that I’m still capable of doing these things,” Bauer said.
Bauer said the ride also reminded him of the support system many veterans miss after leaving the military. He said the riders may have come from different places, but they quickly understood how to support one another.
“Sometimes we’re being carried and sometimes we’re doing the carrying,” Bauer said.
The riders’ final destination, Ground Zero, carried deep meaning for many of the veterans who served after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Cooper said he remembered watching the attacks unfold on television while he was working on his nursing degree. At first, he thought it was a movie. Then he saw the ticker at the bottom of the screen and realized it was real.
He deployed in 2002.
Bauer, who grew up in New Jersey and had family ties to New York and northern New Jersey, said he remembered being shocked, angry and worried about whether his brother, who was a firefighter at the time, would be sent to New York City.
Bauer later deployed to Afghanistan and said he believed in that mission.
As the riders prepared to make their way to Ground Zero, Bauer said the 9/11 Memorial & Museum helped connect the attacks to the sacrifices made by American service members in the years that followed.
The Soldier Ride 250 was also tied to the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary. Cooper said the ride reflected the resilience of the people who served and the country they served.
“We’ve made it 250 years. We’ve got another 250 to go or more,” Cooper said. “We’re fighters. We’re not quitters.”
For the riders who came through Baltimore, the message was one of strength, recovery and connection.
They had already traveled through rain and long miles, but for Cooper and Bauer, the most powerful part of the journey was knowing they were not doing it alone.
