Ride Report posted by Lutz

We greeted Ryan some five miles from his home for a Warriors’ Watch, AHW – style greeting, mounted up and escorted him to his home with a lot of bikes,  local police and fire vehicles. The escort was loud, long, and proud!

Ryan’s mom tells us that to become a Marine was a dream of Ryan’s since he was five.  Last June while graduating boot camp in Paris Island SC,  Ryan was awarded the “Iron Man Award” (most physically fit, mentally endured Marine) of the entire graduates of the USMC  on Paris Island, at that time. Ryan scored a 596 out of a possible 600 pts. on his final PT. Ryan then went on to become a Machine Gunner, (0331 Infantry 3/2 India Co.) to be meritoriously promoted to Lance Corporal.

He was sent to Afghanistan in early February 2011 (1st tour)  where he lived in hostile territory behind enemy lines, until this past September 19 when he returned to Camp Lejeune NC., turning 21 in Afghanistan. Ryan is in the Force Recon division, and is basically headed back to Afghanistan in the near future.  His first tour was a bit depressing for him, as he lost some of his fellow brothers while in combat . On Octobber 31, Ryan will be going back to Camp Lejeune NC to begin a Sniper Indoctrine.

While in Afghanistan Ryan lost friends. As we greeted him, he told us that those friends were the true heroes, some of the finest men he had ever known. Ryan has their names,   Cpl Adam Jones,  Cpl Jabari Thompson and Sgt Mark Bradley, burned into his side, a life-long tribute to their sacrifices.

 Welcome home, Ryan. We thank you for your service, we thank your family for their months of worry and prayers and for their sacrifice. And we rejoice with them that you are home safe and whole.

Here is some video taken by the family:

http://youtu.be/tLWAxg_MdzY

The above photos taken by Kat Fialkowski. Here are the rest:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2018531388335.2097325.1395401744&type=1&l=8c7c1413da