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An Elk from Oregon is venturing into the unknown in an effort to support the families of wounded veterans. But like any raw recruit headed to basic training, he has taken a leap of faith in support of his nation. “I joined the Marines at age 22 because I wanted to look like and be with the best,” recalls 48-year-old Scot King of Portland, Oregon. “It made my mother cry and shocked most of the rest of the family, too.” After completing boot camp at Camp Pendleton, Ca., Scot was stationed in Okinawa and Korea. Deciding to return to civilian life after a single tour and being honorably discharged from the Marines, Scot never lost his desire to take on daunting challenges or support military personnel. A multi-sport competitor who loves soccer best, the ex-Marine from Oregon bicycled almost 600 miles in six days for Cycle Oregon in 1999, and two weeks later ran in the equally challenging 197-mile Hood To Coast relay race. Now, he is in the middle of a two-year bicycling odyssey that will make the Oregon treks seem like a leisurely stroll around the block.
Remember The Wounded Ride, Inc. (RTWR) is a federal tax-exempt/non-profit corporation formed for the express purposes of “mak[ing] life better for our combat wounded men and women and their families and educating the public as to the effects of war on the American family.”
As RTWR’s President and founder, Scot King is spearheading the non-profit’s first major project; he is bicycling through each of the lower 48 states to personally deliver the message that the family caregivers of U.S. veterans sustaining major injuries in battles in Iraq and Afghanistan need our help. The RTWR’s Veterans and their Family Assistance Program is pursuing the goal of raising $1 million within the two years it will take Scot to pedal 20,165 miles. He is dedicating the effort to Elks Lodges across America, as well as the many family members who are often compelled to quit their jobs, sell their homes, and move their places of residence to care for their battle-disabled children and spouses. A longtime Elks member, Scot repeats his mantra with conviction, “Once a Marine, always a Marine; Once an Elk, always an Elk.”
Difficulties with implementation of a federal law designed to give monetary assistance to family caregivers of wounded veterans underscore the importance of providing that support in the private sector as well. For the first time any U.S. Commander-In-Chief has done so, President Obama signed a bill in May of 2010—the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Service Act (CAVOHS)—authorizing the Veterans Administration (VA) to make additional funds available to family caregivers of veterans seriously wounded in battle since Sept. 11, 2001. Although the VA has been slow to act on the legislation, prompting recent hearings presided over by a U.S. House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs subcommittee, Scot is reluctant to criticize the VA for its belated implementation of CAVOHS. However, the VA’s tardiness, narrow interpretation of the new federal law and subsequent reduction of eligible families to a mere 1,000 has provided further evidence of the need for additional financial support from the public.
See the LCL for the full story
An Elk from Oregon is venturing into the unknown in an effort to support the families of wounded veterans. But like any raw recruit headed to basic training, he has taken a leap of faith in support of his nation. “I joined the Marines at age 22 because I wanted to look like and be with the best,” recalls 48-year-old Scot King of Portland, Oregon. “It made my mother cry and shocked most of the rest of the family, too.” After completing boot camp at Camp Pendleton, Ca., Scot was stationed in Okinawa and Korea. Deciding to return to civilian life after a single tour and being honorably discharged from the Marines, Scot never lost his desire to take on daunting challenges or support military personnel. A multi-sport competitor who loves soccer best, the ex-Marine from Oregon bicycled almost 600 miles in six days for Cycle Oregon in 1999, and two weeks later ran in the equally challenging 197-mile Hood To Coast relay race. Now, he is in the middle of a two-year bicycling odyssey that will make the Oregon treks seem like a leisurely stroll around the block.
Remember The Wounded Ride, Inc. (RTWR) is a federal tax-exempt/non-profit corporation formed for the express purposes of “mak[ing] life better for our combat wounded men and women and their families and educating the public as to the effects of war on the American family.”
As RTWR’s President and founder, Scot King is spearheading the non-profit’s first major project; he is bicycling through each of the lower 48 states to personally deliver the message that the family caregivers of U.S. veterans sustaining major injuries in battles in Iraq and Afghanistan need our help. The RTWR’s Veterans and their Family Assistance Program is pursuing the goal of raising $1 million within the two years it will take Scot to pedal 20,165 miles. He is dedicating the effort to Elks Lodges across America, as well as the many family members who are often compelled to quit their jobs, sell their homes, and move their places of residence to care for their battle-disabled children and spouses. A longtime Elks member, Scot repeats his mantra with conviction, “Once a Marine, always a Marine; Once an Elk, always an Elk.”
Difficulties with implementation of a federal law designed to give monetary assistance to family caregivers of wounded veterans underscore the importance of providing that support in the private sector as well. For the first time any U.S. Commander-In-Chief has done so, President Obama signed a bill in May of 2010—the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Service Act (CAVOHS)—authorizing the Veterans Administration (VA) to make additional funds available to family caregivers of veterans seriously wounded in battle since Sept. 11, 2001. Although the VA has been slow to act on the legislation, prompting recent hearings presided over by a U.S. House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs subcommittee, Scot is reluctant to criticize the VA for its belated implementation of CAVOHS. However, the VA’s tardiness, narrow interpretation of the new federal law and subsequent reduction of eligible families to a mere 1,000 has provided further evidence of the need for additional financial support from the public.
See the LCL for the full story
