American flags stand in the ground outside of the 177th Fighter Wing in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. on Sept. 1, 2020. 660 flags were ceremoniously placed under the wing’s billboard to represent the approximate number of Veterans that commit suicide every month in the U.S. (Hunter Hires/U.S. Air National Guard)
Jul. 31 (Tribune News Service) — Brian Greeson lives in Boulder, Colo., but he hasn’t been home for the past few months — instead, he’s been biking across the United States to bring more attention to the high suicide rate among military veterans.
“With all the other news going on, it’s definitely not being talked about,” said the 40-year-old Greeson. “We’re not going to fix something if we’re not talking about it, so I thought the ride would be a really good conversation starter.”
As a former member of the military, Greeson said the issue of veteran suicide is close to his heart. He served in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2010 and was deployed twice to Afghanistan.
He said an average of 20 veterans have taken their own lives every day for the past 20 years.
“It’s a much higher rate than other demographics,” he said.
Greeson kicked off his cross-country ride on April 1 in San Francisco. From there, he’s traveled through Death Valley in California, Zion National Park in Utah, and over Vail Pass in Colorado. He pedaled through South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest, boarded a ferry across Lake Michigan, and passed through Pittsburgh during his final push southeast.
His ride will end in Washington, D.C.
A cross-country solo tour is daunting for any level of cyclist, but Greeson has only recently started taking longer endurance rides. He moved to Boulder in 2018, after which he began training for a bike ride of this scale. He said the most intense ride he’d taken before his current tour was an overnight biking trip.
“It’s definitely been a whole learning process,” he said. “It’s been a real adventure.”
Along his route, Greeson alternates between camping — often for five or six days in a row — and resting in a hotel. He also makes an effort to educate the people he meets on the issue of veteran suicide. While most people are sympathetic to the issue, Greeson said, they’re surprised to hear the staggering statistics.
“They just don’t realize that it’s such a big deal,” he said.
Greeson is donating the money he receives to Veterans Expeditions, a Colorado nonprofit. Veterans Expeditions coordinates outdoor excursions, including biking and climbing trips, for people who served in the armed forces.
As of Thursday, Greeson had raised over half of his $50,000 goal. Donations can be made at OneMileFundraiser.com.
Greeson is nearing the end of his journey. A recent map update tracking his progress placed him along the Potomac River in Maryland.
Nick Watson, executive director of Veterans Expeditions, called Greeson’s ride “amazing” and praised its unique way of tackling a difficult topic. Like Greeson, Watson said he’s consistently shocked by the high suicide rate among veterans.
Although suicide is a discouraging thing to talk about, Watson said, people need to hear the facts.
“It’s the elephant in the room in the veteran community,” Watson said. “Suicide is prevalent. It’s been prevalent for a long time now.”
Watson started Veterans Expeditions in 2010. He got to meet Greeson when the cross-country ride came through Colorado.
The donations from Greeson’s ride will help the nonprofit run more trips.
“That allows more folks to get into that community and be supported by it,” Watson said.
© 2025 Colorado Hometown Weekly.
Visit www.coloradohometownweekly.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
