4 HriIMES r June 14, 2012 HILLTOP TIMES Bicyclists begin to assemble themselves together for a group photo June 12 as Senior Master Sgt. Mike Sanders backs up his recumbent trike to join the others in the Sea to Shining Sea 2012 group at a Salt Lake City park. Veterans Affairs workers (not in jerseys) opted to join them for the last leg of the day's ride from the Salt Lake International Peace Gardens to the Gateway Mall. MARY LOU GORNY/Hilltop Times Mon. Fri. 7:00 am - 6:00 pm - Open Saturdays /32imito.Efizia?ScgE Most Insurance Plans Accepted. Payment Plans, Credit Cards, Military Dental Plans. EMERGENCIES WELCOME! We LOVE New Patients! www.laytonpediatricdentistry.com Wingmen on wheels BY MARY Lou GORNY Hilltop Times editor T hey started out in San Francisco, they'll end up at Virginia Beach, Va. Fourteen disabled military personnel, with two other participants coming along for the ride. The group, taking a total of 63 days, with a few rest days on the way will make their way across Highway 50 with few deviations from one coast to the other, with other occasional extra disabled and other voluntary bicyclists accompanying them from time to time. The Sea to Shining Sea 2012 event gives these riders an opportunity to experience America, meet people on the way and work together as a group. On Tuesday, June 13, the group had reached close to 1,000 miles when they rode into the Salt Lake International Peace Gardens. Senior Master Sgt. Mike Sanders, with almost 24 years in the Air Force, has come a long way in his life already, before this ride. Diagnosed with cancer in 2007, and undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, he discovered the Air Force family surrounded him and his family as they made their way through that challenge. As an athlete, his symptoms were easily dismissed by doctors, and once diagnosed he was transferred from teaching at the Unaiversity of Portland, AFROTC, to Scott Air Force Base in St. Louis, Mo. "When I first got there, my new boss — a senior master sergeant at the time but now Chief Larry Williams — met us at the airport," said Sanders. He came prepared with a car seat for their daughter for the 45 minute ride to the base, and had a room waiting for them at the base with a refrigerator full of food. The Sanders family had left in such a rush under the circumstances they hadn't been able to prepare for all contingencies. Sanders went to the emergency room that night in Missouri and had surgery a few days later. "I'm probably one of the few guys who can say, 'I've had my throat slashed and I've lived to talk about it,"' he said with a smile. When asked about the ride so far, Sanders mentioned some of the lengthier distances, and was anticipating a few century rides in the coming week on his three-wheel recumbent bike. With 100 miles in one day, coming twice in a one week period, perseverance will be required. "But we have to go over Loveland Pass first," he said, some 11,990 feet above sea level. The three-wheel bike he favors proves more forgiving of the scar tissue in his neck and was a welcome surprise once he tried it in order to participate in the Warrior Games recently when a twowheel slot was not available. It also allows the well-conditioned athlete to ride longer distances. Another recent discovery, Eureka, Utah, a little town he had never heard of seems to have left quite an impression on him. Eureka was full of folks who waved and shouted to the riders, "Welcome to Eureka." "I never would have experienced that, I never would have known where Eureka, Utah, was (located)," he said. "To meet those people who live in that little small community, to know that we defended them (as military personnel) in all our careers, that is special to me." Sanders shares his story with new troops entering the ALS and NCO academies whenever he can. He wants others to be aware of what it's like should leaders need to be a Wingman to others who experience challenges like he did. Also, he wants to share with them how much Americans really seem to support the military members who are defending their freedom, like those residents in Eureka, Utah, who greeted the veterans with such hospitality and friendliness. Larry Joseph Gunter, who was in the See RIDE I rr ms www.el-burrito.com 1 1 Join Burrito Buck Rewards I 1 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 I Text: (elburrito) to 85775 1 for more discounts! 1 Not valid with other offers. One coupon per table per visit. Expires 6-30-12. 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Mike Sanders and Larry Joseph Gunter, all who are serving or have served in the Air Force, pose after arriving in Salt Lake City at the entrance park to the International Peace Gardens. IV 4401 McKay-Dee Cancer Center HARRISON BLVD. I OGDEN, UT 84403 I 801.387.7484 I mckay-dee.orgIcancer 91