Pair race across America, raise veteran awareness

  • Published
  • By Macario Mora
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Jeremy Staat and Army Veteran Wesley Barrientos spent a day at Luke Air Force Base March 7 on the 18th day of a 100-day, 4,200-mile bike ride called the "Wall to Wall Cross Country Bicycle Ride," which began Feb. 19 to raise awareness on veteran's issues and support for veteran's benefits.

Staat, a former Marine and NFL defensive lineman, and Barrientos began their journey at the Wall of Valor in Bakersfield, Calif., where the two met roughly two years ago during the building of the wall. They anticipate arriving at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., on Memorial Day - the Wall's 35th anniversary.

"There are 1,012 names on the Wall of Valor," Staat said. "They're fathers, brothers, cousins and I kept feeling like I could see their faces. It was like they were telling me 'don't forget about what I've done.' And, I realized, there were many of those same names on the wall in Washington D.C. We really want to bring honor and tribute to the Vietnam guys who went through so much."

The pair spent a year together building the Wall of Valor in Bakersfield but decided they needed to do more. Staat said he was tired of the large divide between veteran's groups, so he determined to raise awareness on four key issues facing veterans and the nation - bring veteran's groups together, establish veteran's centers in colleges across the nation such as the Pat Tillman Veteran's Center at Arizona State University, fight the rising childhood obesity rate and most importantly, tackle the issue of veteran suicides.
"Every 80 minutes a veteran commits suicide," Staat said, founder of the Jeremy Staat Foundation. "We are losing 18 veterans to suicide every day."

These startling statistics were a part of a study released in October 2011 by the Center for a New American Security. Staat said the number of suicides, to include veterans and active-duty servicemembers, has surpassed the number of servicemembers killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. But veteran suicides are just one of many issues the pair has decided to tackle.

"Jeremy came up with the idea," said Barrientos, a three-time Iraq War veteran who lost both of his legs to an improvised explosive device on his third tour. "At first he wanted to run. I looked at him and said, 'really dude?' So, we decided to bike across the country."

Staat, who was a second-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998, was a close friend of Pat Tillman while they played together at ASU. After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Staat decided he wanted to join the military, however, Tillman convinced him to stay in the NFL to receive his pension. Tillman's advice and well-chronicled death in 2004 left a lasting impression on Staat.

"I'm glad I listened to Pat," Staat said. "I wanted to join the Army in 2001, but he talked me out of it. [However] after what happened to Pat, I decided to join the Marine Corps."

After Staat was medically discharged from the Marine Corps in 2009, he decided he wanted to continue serving his country by serving those who served. He said he became aware of the difficulties facing veterans trying to adjust to civilian life and fighting for benefits they believed were rightfully theirs.

"We decided to do something about it," Staat said. "We need representation, especially in [Washington] D.C. We need to fight for veteran's benefits. There are some Vietnam guys who have been waiting 40 years to receive their benefits. So, we decided we wanted to try and bring together veteran's groups to help vets get their benefits."

The pair will make numerous stops throughout their journey to include military installations and surrounding communities on or near Interstate 40 to help educate people on the plight of veterans and the need for selfless service.

"We've talked to about 60,000 kids in the last year," Barrientos explained. "We saw there was a huge need to educate them." Staat added, "We want to break their sense of entitlement and help them understand the importance of service over self."

Staat said that besides raising awareness, ultimately their goal is to raise 30 to 40 million dollars to help build a privately operated and funded veterans' medical hospital in Kern Country, Cali. He said there are more than 50,000 veterans in the county, but only a small clinic is dedicated to fulfilling the numerous and complicated needs of the veteran population, which according to Staat is the largest in California.

For more information on the Jeremy Staat Foundation and to track their Wall to Wall journey, visit thejeremystaatfoundation.org.