RIDE FOR THE BRAVE Connecting Veterans One Mile at a Time
The Ride for the Brave was borne out of tragedy in the summer of 2020 when US Navy veteran, David White (48), killed himself. Dave’s death moved his high school friend and U.S. Marine, Major Scott Huesing, USMC (Ret) (51), to ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle across the United States — and back. The ride has since grown into a unifying event — connecting thousands of veterans and inspiring countless more across the country. SD Veterans Magazine caught up with Huesing at his ranch in Temecula, CA, to find out what drives him to get on his bike and ride. San Diego Veterans Magazine asked, “Why did you pick July of all months to ride?”
Huesing, a retired Infantry Officer and the Bestselling Author of Echo in Ramadi, The Firsthand Story of U.S. Marines in Iraq’s Deadliest City (Regnery, 2018), replied with conviction, “I want to be clear about one thing. I didn’t pick the month — the month picked me. We don’t get to choose when our friends decide to kill themselves, and when Dave’s mom asked me to come out to South Carolina and give the eulogy, I rode out and got some perspective along the way. My legacy to the ride will be that it is always done in July because I want everyone who rides to suffer a little bit.
I say that with a happy heart, but people must suffer in some way. Endure the 115-degree heat through the desert. Get rained on in the Deep South and feel the wind and friction of the road. Those things are all reminders that everyone needs to understand others have it worse than you do.” Last year Huesing rode 5,150 miles to honor his friend — this year, in 2021, he did it again and went from San Diego, CA to Miami, FL, and rode 3,161 miles to prevent veteran suicide — not just raise awareness. Continued on next page...
WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / SEPTEMBER 2021
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