Two Marines Riding For A Cause

Hey everyone. I wanted to do a short introduction to a couple of great guys that I met last night and was able to become better acquainted with this morning. Alec and Tobin are riding across the country to raise money for cancer awareness. Tobin is from D.C., and Alec is from New Jersey. They met in Marine Corp Boot Camp and became very good friends. Alec did one tour in Iraq, and spent five years teaching English in China. Tobin continued his military career for eleven years, five of which was in the Army. He did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his time in the military, he completed a Bachelors degree in film making and moved to L.A., to later work construction and other miscellaneous jobs.  

 

I stumbled across these two travelers when I received a phone call at work. Alec told me that he and a travelling companion were riding a bicycle across the country to raise money for cancer awareness. He said that they were just looking for a place to sleep for the night and wanted to make sure that it was alright to sleep in a certain area of town. He told me that they were military veterans and informed me that they had gone to boot camp together. He also said that they were riding because their mothers had died of cancer and they just wanted to do something to draw attention to cancer treatment and research.

 

After speaking with Alec, I decided to head down to the area that they had requested to roll out their sleeping bags in and meet them personally. When I arrived, they wanted to make sure that they could just sleep in their bags where they had laid them out in the middle of the outfield of a ball field just outside of the park. It was my view that as U.S. Military Veterans, having sacrificed and fought for the ground that my children freely play ball on, they could sleep on it if they wanted to. After speaking with my lovely wife, who is always so accommodating, I later invited Alec and Tobin by for breakfast in the morning.

 

 
 
After speaking with them the night before, I went back to meet them in the morning and found them not sleeping so soundly. We headed to the house where we enjoyed their company and they enjoyed a good breakfast.

 Being an avid bicyclist, and former Marine, I had a great conversation with them. They had started out on two bicycles, one of which was pulling a trailer, when they left L.A. Just outside of L.A., one bike fell apart. They were close enough to L.A. that they decided to head back and pick up an old ragged Honda that they would then use as a chase vehicle. They alternated between driving and riding until they reached the Wichita area. Sadly, once reaching central Kansas, Alec got word that his mother in New Jersey was succumbing to cancer. They then drove to New Jersey where he was able to spend a couple of days with his mother before she passed away.

 

 

Once things had settled, they were able to get back on the road and drove back to Wichita where they continued their trek. They said that they were going to be taking the Katy Trail across Missouri, and I was able to give them a couple of helpful tidbits, having ridden the trail last year. We talked of family, travels, and many other things over biscuits and gravy, fresh strawberries, and banana bread. Although their service to our nation was mentioned, it was not talked of much. I did not expect it to be. Men that see such things rarely speak of them. There is a silent understanding between these men that have lived through such times. I am proud of the limited time that I served my country. I am more proud to be able to support those that have given much more.

Following breakfast, it was time to ruck up (short for rucksack) and go. Alec and Tobin graciously thanked us for the hospitality and we said our goodbyes and good lucks. The last time I saw them, their bike was strapped across the roof of their dinged up Honda, and they were headed down the road to accomplish another mission. Semper-Fi boys and God’s speed.

You can follow their journey on Facebook at “Cross Country Cruise Against Cancer." All money donated is being directly given to the cause through a direct link on their site. They are completely covering all travel expenses themselves. Photo's courtesy of Cross Country Cruise Against Cancer.