When Donald Maloy finished his 10-year stint with the U.S. Army in 2016, it was difficult to make connections.
Maloy was adjusting to a lifestyle back in the United States that was different than what he had experienced serving in Iraq, Colombia and two tours in Afghanistan.
The 42-year-old, who now works as a counselor at the Denver Vet Center, got an assist from his wife, who connected him with the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonpartisan organization that offers programs, services and events to veterans wounded after 9/11.
Maloy wanted to meet veterans who were interested in getting out of the house and building the camaraderie “that pretty much everyone wants to have,” he said. That’s a niche the Wounded Warrior Project serves, as it will do for 35 wounded warriors Friday in Portland and Saturday in Vancouver with its Soldier Ride. The event focuses on healing physical, mental and emotional injuries through exercise and community building.
“The ride itself — being on a bicycle — is what we try to coach and achieve in the clinical setting, which is having everybody stay really mindful of the things that we do. The mind takes off and does what it wants to do a whole lot of times, unless we can program it to do the right things, good habits,” Maloy said.
“It’s very difficult for us to get in a good pattern,” he added. “I think anybody that stays really mindful of what they’re doing will probably keep themselves out of trouble and keep themselves safe. When the mind starts to race is when we lose sight of that.”
This will be Maloy’s second Soldier Ride. When he previously participated in the ride in Colorado Springs, Colo., he felt the military camaraderie return, he said, and he left the event knowing the other veterans much better than he thought he was going to.
That presented Maloy with a friend group he can relate with.
“It’s a little difficult to talk to people in the same nature because, for the last 10 years, I was used to talking to people about ‘seek and destroy’ missions or stuff that’s not necessarily palatable for everybody else. You don’t like to use that language, but when it’s something you do it’s kind of hard to convey what that’s like, unless they’ve been there,” Maloy said.
“So when I got out of the military, it was really hard to relate. Denver isn’t really a military hub of any kind,” he added. “And especially being a counselor, it’s kind of a touchy, feely feelings and emotions kind of thing, and veterans aren’t really good at that. We’re kind of trained to get away from that.”
David Griego, an operations specialist for Soldier Ride, came to cycling while recovering from a 2012 explosion in Afghanistan that injured his brain, lower back and a lung, and left him with “a lot of hardware” in his body. Griego said the bike rides and being active help wounded warriors realize their injuries don’t define them; they define themselves.
“It’s an opportunity to get veterans out of their house, get them re-engaged with other veterans, the community,” Griego said. “We use the bike as a tool for that. It’s not all about riding. It allows a warrior to say, ‘Hey, I’m still physically fit. I can do this.’ When they accomplish this, it kind of opens the door to them as they want to continue riding, as they continue their recovery.”
Griego said he doesn’t immediately share his whole story with veterans at Soldier Ride but will discuss it with veterans if he senses they are struggling, as a way to show them “there’s light at the end of the tunnel.” Griego always tells them they can call him even after the ride is over.
In addition to the rides, the veterans will share multiple meals together over the weekend, stay together in a hotel and play Top Golf. The weekend is about much more than being active.
“When they depart, we kind of hope that they build some connections here, made some new friends and that they stay in contact,” Griego said.
