A man’s golden years often involve relaxing, hobbies or maybe a little fishing. Retired Air Force fighter pilot Col. Gary West chose travelling, deciding on a 2,500-mile trip from Maine to Key West via bicycle.
West, a 27-year military veteran, is making the journey to raise funds for Folds of Honor, a non-profit that offers scholarships to children with a parent who was killed or disabled while on active duty. His goal is to raise $60,000 during the 60-day, 15-state journey that will culminate in Key West on his 60th birthday, Oct. 1.
As West and his six-member team arrived in Sebastian last Thursday, they received a welcome that illustrated why, as Mayor Bob McPartland put it, “Sebastian is one of the most patriotic cities in the entire country.”
Andrea Coy, a Sebastian City Council member and retired master sergeant, learned of West’s journey less than week before he was scheduled to reach the city and, with help from the City of Sebastian and the Sebastian Chamber of Commerce, the whole community was soon involved. Coy, hoping to raise $1,000 for West, praised the citizens of Sebastian for donating in excess of $3,500.
As flag-waving groups lined the route and cheered West on, members of the Sebastian police and the Freedom Riders provided an escort from the county line to the Veteran’s Memorial at Riverview Park. Despite the threat of rain, the crowd stood undeterred as the American Legion/VFW Honor Guard presented the flag and the ceremony began.
West carries an American flag for the family of a fallen or disabled parent/spouse from each state on his journey. At each stop, the flag is raised and will be ultimately presented to the family along with a journal of the locations and signatures of participants in a flag-folding ceremony using the 15 state flags, folded again and again at each event. West has raised these flags at such memorable sites as Independence Hall and Ground Zero.
“It’s not about some old man riding a bike,” said West. “It’s to honor the fallen, the families of the fallen, the first responders. It’s up to us to make sure they’re not forgotten. They’ve given us the greatest gift – to breathe free, to live free.”
As taps sounded there was a low rumble of thunder, befitting the somber occasion.
