Warsaw Grad Heads Up Coast-To-Coast Ride
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
The focus of the Wounded Warrior Project is to help soldiers injured in battle with programs and services and help the soldiers transition back to civilian life.
The ride, which started June 10 in Dahlgren, Va., is slated to end around Nov. 1 about 100 miles north of San Francisco. Event director is a 1965 Warsaw High School grad.
Jef Keegan is from the Warsaw area, but now lives in Arizona.
He is a retired 28-year veteran and 22-year Navy corpsman.
Keegan served in combat surgical arenas, which gives him a keen knowledge of wounded soldiers.
“This trip is to raise awareness and empower those injured in battle,” said Keegan in a prepared release.
This morning, Keegan, along with his son Patrick, wounded warrior Michael Proscia and the rest of his team left Warsaw after a four-day stay and headed west.
The team tries to average 20 to 25 miles a day, but Jef said that with hot and humid conditions that could alter the plan.
The horses, named Fancy, Famous, Phantom, Buckshot and Status Symbol, receive veterinary check-ups every 30 days.
Jef said a former team member who was disgruntled has posted information on the Internet that the horses aren’t being treated well.
As event director, Jef is responsible for not only coordinating the ride itself but taking care of the nutritional and health needs of the horses.
Formerly of Parker and Lake Havasu, Ariz., Jef recently located to Yucca, Ariz.
After his military service, Jef worked as a first responder, EMT, emergency room supervisor and surgical assistant.
Proscia is making the ride after he medically retired from the military in 2010. He was involved in many roadside bombing incidents including, as his biography states, “being blown up three times in less than 36 hours.”
He suffered, among other things, hearing loss, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injury, paralyzed left diaphragm and post traumatic stress disorder.
Proscia is a Purple Heart recipient and stated his goal was to complete the whole ride.
Education is also key.
“A lot of people asked us why are we taking secondary roads and not going through big cities,” said Proscia. “I think a lot of people in big cities know about the Wounded Warrior Project. Our goal is to help those in smaller communities learn about it.”
Wounded Warriors are encouraged to join the ride along the way at no cost. Supporters can join but must supply their own mounts and cover related costs of the ride.
Those interested in following the ride can do so at coasttocoasttrailriders.org
Their progress will be updated.
On the site are also ways people can donate to the project and the ride.
The ride was scheduled to head through Etna Green and Bourbon this morning, eventually hitting Lake County then moving into Illinois.[[In-content Ad]]
The focus of the Wounded Warrior Project is to help soldiers injured in battle with programs and services and help the soldiers transition back to civilian life.
The ride, which started June 10 in Dahlgren, Va., is slated to end around Nov. 1 about 100 miles north of San Francisco. Event director is a 1965 Warsaw High School grad.
Jef Keegan is from the Warsaw area, but now lives in Arizona.
He is a retired 28-year veteran and 22-year Navy corpsman.
Keegan served in combat surgical arenas, which gives him a keen knowledge of wounded soldiers.
“This trip is to raise awareness and empower those injured in battle,” said Keegan in a prepared release.
This morning, Keegan, along with his son Patrick, wounded warrior Michael Proscia and the rest of his team left Warsaw after a four-day stay and headed west.
The team tries to average 20 to 25 miles a day, but Jef said that with hot and humid conditions that could alter the plan.
The horses, named Fancy, Famous, Phantom, Buckshot and Status Symbol, receive veterinary check-ups every 30 days.
Jef said a former team member who was disgruntled has posted information on the Internet that the horses aren’t being treated well.
As event director, Jef is responsible for not only coordinating the ride itself but taking care of the nutritional and health needs of the horses.
Formerly of Parker and Lake Havasu, Ariz., Jef recently located to Yucca, Ariz.
After his military service, Jef worked as a first responder, EMT, emergency room supervisor and surgical assistant.
Proscia is making the ride after he medically retired from the military in 2010. He was involved in many roadside bombing incidents including, as his biography states, “being blown up three times in less than 36 hours.”
He suffered, among other things, hearing loss, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injury, paralyzed left diaphragm and post traumatic stress disorder.
Proscia is a Purple Heart recipient and stated his goal was to complete the whole ride.
Education is also key.
“A lot of people asked us why are we taking secondary roads and not going through big cities,” said Proscia. “I think a lot of people in big cities know about the Wounded Warrior Project. Our goal is to help those in smaller communities learn about it.”
Wounded Warriors are encouraged to join the ride along the way at no cost. Supporters can join but must supply their own mounts and cover related costs of the ride.
Those interested in following the ride can do so at coasttocoasttrailriders.org
Their progress will be updated.
On the site are also ways people can donate to the project and the ride.
The ride was scheduled to head through Etna Green and Bourbon this morning, eventually hitting Lake County then moving into Illinois.[[In-content Ad]]
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