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.

Huesing explained, “There’s a vast difference in the terms [awareness vice prevention] in my opinion. We know the number will never be zero, but we like to think we are doing our part for veterans in our tribe who struggle with the pressure related to PTS — we connect veterans in a safe space through outreach programs — that’s what we are great at.”

Huesing went on to tell us, “There are a lot of statistics floating around about veteran suicide, like 22 a day — but they aren’t statistics to me — they are my Marines and friends. This rampant problem of veteran suicide has smacked me right in the face, and I’m at a loss every time it strikes. Suicide doesn’t discriminate on race, gender, rank, branch of service, or age. But sadly, we rarely see it coming, and that’s why we continue to lead this fight to stem it the best way we know how.”

SD Veterans Magazine asked how Huesing keeps up the energy for what has become a daunting task to help lead this fight. The number of veterans who’ve died from suicide surpassed the number of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 9/11, over 7,000 were killed in combat, and now some reports have over 30,000 suicides from the veteran community who served.

Huesing said, “There is no expiration date on my commission as a leader. It is a lifelong commitment for me. I’m very fortunate to have the capacity to continue doing what I do — not everyone does or must. You don’t have to be like me and dump your life story into 300-pages of a book or get on a stage and pick the scab open in front of thousands of strangers to make an impact. Each veteran and citizen in America can do that if they do just one thing — Care. No matter how we do it, I just want veterans to stop killing themselves.”

Huesing’s journey is only one small piece of his contribution to the veteran community. He truly believes in the cause and the people surrounding him as he puts his money and actions where his mouth is. His ethos of lifelong service has inspired countless within the veteran community and well beyond. He gave us one example: “Take ‘Doc’ Smith. That guy had a gun in his mouth at one point in his life and managed to pull back from the edge. He got paralyzed in Iraq but he’s still fighting. He rode 700 miles— without fear, staying alive, and refuses to quit.”

Huesing said, “I truly believe that at the beginning and end of every day, if you aren’t helping others, you aren’t helping yourself.”

That attitude has served Huesing well as he leads his team at Save the Brave to continue the mission and help those in need, and his message goes beyond that of veterans.

He added, “Charity is not supposed to be easy — it’s supposed to be hard. I think it should be hard to give your money when you’d rather spend it on something frivolous — or give your time when you’d rather be at rest. Those are defining moments in a person’s life. When you do it, you’ll probably never see any recognition — but you’ll know. That’s the important part.” He was silent, then smiled. “I’ll share this one for any veteran or person struggling with PTS or depression or anyone feeling that friction in life. I rode 373 miles on the fourth day. I was soaked in sweat. Lines of salt stains showed through my leather. Sunset was close. I pulled from a parking lot in Corinth on my way to Bartonville, Texas, which lay ten miles away. The drive took forty minutes. I looked in the tiny, silver mirror of my bike. I saw over thirty riders behind me, local police cars blocked traffic — blue lights flashed. I heard the blast-horns of the fire trucks who showed up to escort me as our convoy ran red lights as we blazed to our stop. One thought hit me. This is support. This is love. If there are veterans out there thinking that you are alone and that no one cares — I’ve got news for you. There are thousands we are surrounded by that do.”

Down every stretch of highway and through every city, Huesing told us that his ride “…exposed the best of the human condition — despite the pandemic and amid the disarray on the social and political landscapes in America I saw the very best of what this country has to offer. It was shown to me time and time again by people who showed up to support me. People who care. People who want to be led, and inspired, and connected. I’m humbled to be a part of that.” Major Scott A. Huesing, USMC (Ret), is a proven combat leader who has planned and led hundreds of combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa. He is the Executive Director of Save the Brave, a certified 501(C)3.

To find out more about Save the Brave, visit www.savethebrave.org.