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Col. stops at FLETC on bike trek to help veterans' families

For Immediate Release

Over the course of nearly three decades with the U.S. Air Force, Col. Gary West flew more than 100 combat missions in high- performance F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.

But his latest mission in service to the military involves a much less sophisticated mode of transportation and a lot more legwork. The retired fighter pilot is midway through a 2,500-mile bicycle trek from Maine to Key West, Fla., an exercise aimed at raising money and awareness for the Folds of Honor organization. Folds of Honor is a nonprofit group that provides college scholarships for the children and spouses of military veterans who have died or been left disabled in service to their country.

On his way through Georgia, West stopped Wednesday afternoon at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynn County, where he supervised a flag-folding ceremony honoring fallen and disabled veterans whose families are Folds of Honor beneficiaries. West, who retired from the Air Force in 2005, said he felt compelled to give back to families who have suffered loss as a result of service to this country.

“I wanted to do something to give back to the families that have lost loved ones,” West said. “And for me, Folds of Honor just resonated with what I wanted to do to help families. We have a lot of organizations that take care of the veterans, but sometimes the families are neglected. This program just spoke to my spirit.”

West embarked on his journey Aug. 1 at Maine’s border with Canada. He has averaged 50 miles per day on a hybrid Trek bicycle, with an entourage that includes a driver spotting his daily rides and a logistics team. The logistics team includes his two adults sons, Preston and Brandon. Wife Colette West will join him Saturday on her bicycle and complete the remainder of the journey with him.

West hopes to reach Key West on Oct. 1, his 60th birthday. Riding along in the Patriot Honor Ride team van are 16 American flags. Each flag represents a veteran from one of the 16 states along the course whose family is a Folds of Honor beneficiary. Twelve of the veterans died in service to their country; four others are disabled as a result of their service.

The flags have been ceremonially folded into the traditional triangle shapes at various significant landmarks along the way, including Ground Zero for the 9/11 attacks in New York City, aboard the U.S.S. Constitution, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Penn., Fenway Park and numerous new Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legions Halls.

Folks at FLETC were honored to add their site to the list of places where these ceremonies occurred. The flag- folding ceremony there honored Georgia’s Patriot Honor Ride representative, Maj. David Blair Faulkner, a T-38 pilot who died in a training exercise at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi in 2008. Both his children have Folds of Honor scholarships.

For West, the warm reception greeting him at every stop of the way has been an added reward for his efforts.

“It has been refreshing the way we have been welcomed everywhere we have been,” West said. “That has been the wonderful part of this trip.”

For more information on West’s journey, or to donate to Folds of Honor, go to: patriothonorride.com.

Read the original article.


Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
Protocol & Communications Office
Contact: 912-267-2447