Tom Corbett flew fighter jets in the Air Force, but was never seriously wounded in his 28 years in the service.
“I went through my whole career unscathed, and there are many that didn’t,” he said.
Now the area resident is pedaling to support the men and women who were not as fortunate.
He will be joining on his bicycle with Ride 2 Recovery, a nonprofit group that raises money to support cycling programs as part of wounded veterans’ healing process. The organization has a number of events throughout the year and across the country, but starting this Memorial Day they will be taking a group of cyclists from Washington, D.C. to Virginia Beach.
Corbett has joined the ride twice before, meeting them in Richmond and making the trek into Williamsburg as a pack of about 250 riders.
In his experience, he has ridden alongside veterans on upright bicycles with hooks for hands, or those without the ability to pedal with their legs using a hand crank. One team rode a tandem bike – the man in the back was blind.
Talking with them as they ride, Corbett called the journey humbling.
“They are moving, they are not slowing down,” he said.
And sometimes they are hard to keep up with. Corbett was surprised to find them moving at a clip – about 18 miles per hour or faster – on the 63 miles between Richmond and Williamsburg.
He will join six to 10 other local veterans in the trip, set to arrive in Williamsburg on Thursday.
All will convene at St. Bede Catholic Church for a barbeque dinner and ceremony to honor their service. The Virginia District Knights of Columbus have sponsored the Williamsburg portion of the event, selling tickets and preparing to welcome 400 guests to the dinner. The Knights, where Corbett is a member, has a color guard to present colors to the riders.
Corbett said the event gives the cyclists a hero’s welcome and build up their pride.
“The intent of the ride is to challenge these wounded warriors to accomplish something meaningful. … It’s a challenge to go ride 60-something miles,” he said. “It gives you a feeling of accomplishment.”
To learn more, visit the Ride 2 Recovery website.
