News
The Other Side
July 1, 2009
On Monday, June 15, 2009, former Marine Corps officer Tyler Boudreau set out from Gasworks Park in Seattle, Wash. to ride his bike across the country to his home in Massachusetts. Along the way he will be joined by other cyclists and also riding on his own.
For the combat veteran who saw action as an infantryman and took part in the Battle of Fallujah in 2004, it isn’t so much about protesting war, rather, it’s to get people to think — and talk — about war and its effects. Boudreau especially wants to address veterans who suffer from ailments such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which he has also suffered from as a result of his experience.
Photo by Bicycle Paper
Tyler Boudreau at Gasworks Park, beginning his journey home to Massachusetts.
“If you look at how many troops have gone over to fight, lets say one million, and then add in their families, that’s still only five percent of the population who are affected and who think about it [war] every day. That’s 95 percent who are unaffected,” he stated.
Boudreau recently completed his first novel, Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine. The book is a memoir of his experience in the Iraq war and as an officer in one of the most elite fighting forces in the world.
He realizes that the media’s spotlight hasn’t been on the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He wants to engage people and talk about it. It’s his therapy.
“I want to move forward on my own terms and to stir the pot … to get people thinking. We need to resolve this [war] as a nation. To me it’s a journey about healing. And riding home.”
When I asked him where he got the idea to ride across the country he stated, “from a collection of inspirations.” As a former Marine who is well familiarized with physical challenges, he wanted to bring something physical to the situation. He openly admits that it’s not going to be easy.
“I don’t know s#%t about biking!” he readily acknowledged. His loaded touring bike is painted flat gray, which he did himself. He calls it “asphalt camouflage,” noting how the color he chose is the same color as the roads he will be staring at and riding on for the next three months.
Joining Boudreau and riding with him as far as Spokane, Wash., is Ron Toppi, a former Marine who served from 1983-1989. Toppi has done the TransAm ride three consecutive years, the first in 2005, and represents Bike 4 Peace, an organization he founded. He is also the director of Sharing Wheels in Everett, Wash.
You can follow Tyler’s journey at www.tylerboudreau.com/the_other_side.
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