Tomorrow, they'll ride through Northern Virginia, an uphill, hilly ride, and it's going to be raining. How about that? (Laughter.) Continuing to challenge themselves physically while strengthening bonds of friendship and cohesion with each other and with the grateful citizens they'll meet along the way, we know that with the right support, wounded veterans regularly overcome the adversity of their injuries and either return to duty in uniform or lead full, productive lives as citizen leaders in the communities in which they settle.
And that's really what today is all about: providing a venue for wounded service members to bond, continue healing, and realize that we are all here for them.
Mr. President, thank you for honoring and empowering our nation's finest and for the work you have done and will continue to do on behalf of our military and our veteran community.
I now have the honor of introducing our next speaker, Hospital Corpsman Jose Ramos, one of Wounded Warrior Project's legislative directors from our office right here in the nation's capital.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Jose joined the Navy in 2000 to become a corpsman - a medic - where he was assigned to several Marine Corps infantry battalions as their platoon doc.
Jose served one tour in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq. And you can only imagine the difficult conditions Jose faced while he was deployed multiple times and in very difficult circumstances.
In 2004, Jose was hit a by a rocket while serving as a member of a Marine sniper team. His injuries were near fatal, causing devastating damage to his left arm. Despite his critical injuries, Joes was not only able to direct a fellow service member in applying a tourniquet to this arm, but he continued to assist other wounded personnel before he was himself medevacked.
Jose thankfully recovered and retired from the military in 2005. And amazingly, within months of his injuries, he ran and completed the New York City Marathon.
Jose is a former member of the U.S. Paratriathlon Team and a former appointee to the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. He is also a steadfast advocate for his brothers and sisters in arms and is joined today by his beautiful wife, Jodie, and children, Donovan and Luke, sitting right here in the front row. Let's give Jose a big round of applause, everyone. (Applause.)
RAMOS: Well, first and foremost, I want to say thank you to General Linnington for those kind remarks and for recognizing my beautiful wife and my children. You know, my nine-year-old asked me if I could bring them to the White House one day, and I did today. And now I just got to make sure the Capitals win the playoffs, and I think I'm good for the year. (Laughter.)
So, no, it truly is an honor and privilege to be here today, to be at the White House amongst all our distinguished guests and particularly amongst the warriors behind me. Not too long ago, I was standing in their shoes and it feels like it was yesterday, obviously a few years back, but it definitely brings back some memories.
I also want to thank the White House staff for putting this together. It's a lot of work, and we really appreciate what you've done.
The Soldier Ride is just one of the many programs the Wounded Warrior Project has, but it's a program that's particularly special to me. It's played a significant part in my life.
And as General Linnington indicated, I joined the Navy in 2000. In 2004, I was seeing myself serving in my third tour overseas as a Corpsman attached to a Marine sniper team when I was severely injured by a rocket attack. Fast forward a little bit: I'm at Walter Reed, waking up, recovering - you know, going through the process as anybody who was injured at the time.
And unbeknownst to me, you know, there was a group of friends somewhere in New York coming up with this crazy idea. How about we ride a bicycle across the country - right? - to raise awareness and some money for a young organization doing great work. And that was the Wounded Warrior Project.
Soon afterwards, in 2004, Chris Carney decided to do just that, and he rode over 5,000 miles across the country from coast to coast. And then the second - or, following that, he decided to do it again, this time going in the opposite direction. That was really the birth of Soldier Ride. Right? That year, we had two leg amputees join him - two service members still at Walter Reed: Ryan and Heath. And so they trekked, starting from San Diego, all the way across back towards New York.
On their route, they stopped at Walter Reed where they met up with, and picked up, a group of newly injured service members to join them the rest of the way. And I was one of the privileged to be able to join through that route. We did about 400 miles in about seven days.
And in that ride, I learned three important lessons. Number one, Pennsylvania is not flat. (Laughter.) Right? It is extremely hilly. And if it wasn't for the Amish pastries and the Yuengling - (laughter) - I don't think I would've made it through the state. I did say I was a Corpsman with the Marine Corps, right? (Laughs.)
Number two, going downhill full speed with one arm is not easy. Did not realize that. And, oh, by the way, if you're going to go on long bike rides, make sure you're wearing cycling shorts and make sure they're not inside out. (Laughter.)
And number three - the most important lesson of them all - is no matter how difficult the challenge is, whether you fall down or crash, whether you need to get off the bike or walk -right? - or if seems like the miles never end, if there's someone holding you or helping you get back up, walking along your side with you, if there's someone supporting you and helping you realize the finish line is just a little bit further, anything is possible. Right?
Those days grinding it out on those roads made me realize - it made us all realize - that recovery takes time and it takes hard work. But at the same time, if you're willing to put in the time and with the support, you can overcome everything. You might fail, but you will eventually succeed.
Now, it's not possible unless you have a great supporting team next to you. That's what the Wounded Warrior Project does. And it also provides great company with you. So anything you set to accomplish is possible, and anything that you want to do, you can, if you so choose to.
So, Mr. President - where did you go? (Laughter.) I wanted to, again, say we appreciate your generosity and your hospitality and your willingness to have us here today to help us remind our nation and our fellow Americans that our nation's wounded warriors still need our compassion and our support and that the mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to support them along the way, on their ride, no matter how long it takes. So thank you again for having us here today. (Applause.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL LINNINGTON: Thank you. Jose Ramos is the epitome of what it means to be a Wounded Warrior. And as we say in our land, he's truly living the logo of a warrior that starts being carried off the battlefield, and, through his recovery and rehabilitation, is carrying others in their recovery.
So, Jose, thank you for your dedication and your commitment. And, Mr. President, a small token of appreciation for you and the White House staff.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Beautiful.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL LINNINGTON: Please accept this small memento on behalf of all of us and especially the warriors standing behind me. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Well, this is really beautiful. This will find a permanent place, at least for six years - (laughter) - in the Oval Office. Is that okay? (Applause.) I was going to joke, General, and say at least for 10 or 14 years, but we would cause bedlam - (laughter) - if I said that, so we'll say six.
I want to thank you very much. This is fantastic. Thank you very much. And I want to thank everybody here. Incredible, incredible people. Thank you. I'll see you around. Okay? (Applause.)
Thank you, everybody.
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