Supporting The Ultimate Sacrifice Foundation’s Warrior Ride to Benefit Our Nation’s Heroes

The road ahead is a long one.

In a literal sense, the path laid out for The Ultimate Sacrifice Foundation’s Warrior Ride will span 3,300 miles from Boston to San Diego.

In reality, the road is much longer.

The Warrior Ride exists with a mission to raise awareness about the invisible wounds that American servicemembers continue to carry after more than two decades of combat that began with the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The Fire Department Coffee Foundation is honored to support the Warrior Ride with a $2,000 donation and to sponsor Kyle Bigue’s riding jersey as he traverses the country on a route that will bring him through a stretch of highway in Bloomington, Illinois, that is named for one of his fallen brothers.

Bigue was serving with the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan in 2013 when Sgt. Anthony Maddox was wounded in battle. Along with Sgt. Roy “Archie” Arcentales and Sgt. Caleb Walters, Bigue risked his own life to reach Maddox and bring him back to receive medical attention.

Sadly, Maddox succumbed to his wounds days later, and his fellow soldiers will carry the memory of that day with them forever. 

So now Bigue rides to honor Maddox and to raise awareness for all those servicemembers, veterans and Gold Star families who live each day with the post-traumatic stress that resulted from serving their nation abroad.

As he raises awareness, Bigue and The Ultimate Sacrifice Foundation are also hoping to raise funds that can be used for community-building social gatherings, events, and retreats for America’s warriors. The foundation has also partnered with behavioral health and detoxification clinics to get those struggling with suicidal thoughts and addiction.

“My hope is that this brings huge awareness, not only for what Kyle is doing for Sgt. Maddox, but also for every servicemember, veteran and Gold Star family out there that may be struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health issues, addiction and suicide,” said the foundation’s CEO Mike Doody. “Thank you to everyone who has donated so far and everyone who is following this journey.”