Navy veteran biking across America to help first responders
WLWT NEWS 5 LEADING THE WAY. DURING A NATIONAL TRAGEDY INTO A JOURNEY OF INSPIRATION. A LOCAL NAVY VETERAN IS BIKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE TUNNELS TO TOWERS FOUNDATION. IT WAS ACTUALLY CREATED TO HELP FIRST RESPONDERS AND VETERANS AFTER NINE OVER 11, OF COURSE. AND JOINING ME HERE ON THE COUCH TODAY TO TALK MORE ABOUT HIS CROSS-COUNTRY JOURNEY IS LOCAL AUTHOR JIM SAWYER, WHO HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TRULY TO SHARING PEOPLE’S STORIES FROM THAT TRAGIC DAY. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT. I’VE TOLD YOU, I’VE LOOKED AT SO MANY OF YOUR BOOKS, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST ONE THAT KICKED THINGS OFF. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU FIRST ABOUT YOUR PASSION FOR THE THE TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION. I KNOW AGAIN, YOU’VE WRITTEN SEVERAL BOOKS. WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT TO YOU? ASIDE FROM YOU BEING A VETERAN? CORRECT. SO LONG TIME AGO I KEPT SEEING THE TIME NINE OVER 11 AND THEN I SAW IT AGAIN. THEN I SAW IT AGAIN. AND THEN IT BECAME ON MY MICROWAVE, MY CAR CLOCK AT A CLOCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NO MAN’S LAND AND SAID NINE OVER 11. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THIS MORNING I HADN’T LOOKED AT MY WATCH. IT SAID 911, AND I PICKED UP ON THAT BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY’S GIVEN AN IDEA AND YOU HAVE TO REACT ON THAT IDEA. I WAS A MILITARY VETERAN, A TRAGIC DAY ON NINE OVER 11, 25 YEARS AGO. SO I KEEP SAYING NINE OVER 11. WE NEED TO KEEP NINE OVER 11 SPOKEN ABOUT, REMEMBERED, NEVER FORGOTTEN. AND SO THAT’S WHAT I DID. I RAN WITH THAT TIME NINE OVER 11. BECAUSE YOU SEE IT, YOU SAY NINE OVER 11 AND EVERYBODY REMEMBERS WHERE THEY WERE. AND YOU’VE WRITTEN SO MANY BOOKS ABOUT IT WHERE YOU’RE TELLING OTHER PEOPLE’S STORIES ABOUT THAT DAY. TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS CROSS COUNTRY JOURNEY AND WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU OR INSPIRED YOU TO DO THIS? WELL, 25TH ANNIVERSARY. I’VE WRITTEN THREE BOOKS, SO YOU HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN YOU DID YESTERDAY. AND LOU HOLTZ ALWAYS SAID, IF YOU THINK YOU DID SOMETHING BIG YESTERDAY, YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING BIG TODAY. SO I TOLD MY WIFE BACK IN OCTOBER, I SAID, I HAVE THIS IDEA I’M GOING TO WRITE ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH ANOTHER NAVY BUDDY OF MINE HADN’T SPOKEN TO HIM IN 30 YEARS. HE SAID, JIM, I’M IN NOW. WHAT ARE WE DOING AGAIN? HE SAID, YES RIGHT AWAY. SO WE’RE GOING TO LEAVE CALIFORNIA JULY 14TH. WE’RE GOING TO RIDE ALL THE WAY TO THE PENTAGON, THEN TO SHANKSVILLE, AND THEN ON UP TO THE 9/11 MEMORIAL. ALL MONEY RAISED $250,000. OUR GOAL FOR TUNNEL TO TOWERS. ARE YOU NORMALLY A BIKER? I MEAN, ARE YOU JUST TAKING THIS ON? NO, I KIND OF LOOK LIKE FRED FLINTSTONE WHEN I’M OUT THERE ON A BIKE. BUT I HAD TO GET A HAIRCUT, YOU KNOW, CUT DOWN ON THE WIND SPEED AND GET A LITTLE AERODYNAMICS IN THERE. BUT I RODE A BICYCLE FROM CARMEL, INDIANA, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ORLANDO IN SEVEN DAYS. SO THIS WOULD BE A LONGER JOURNEY. BUT SIMILAR TO THAT, I STOPPED TO REST, HYDRATE, TAKE FIVE UP MOUNTAINS, DOWN MOUNTAINS. WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH ON THIS JOURNEY? IS IT THAT PEOPLE WILL NOTICE YOU AND YOU CONTINUE TO TO TALK ABOUT THIS? BECAUSE AGAIN, IT’S BEEN 25 YEARS AND I’VE TOLD YOU I WAS AT GROUND ZERO AND IT FEELS LIKE WHILE WE SAID WE’LL NEVER FORGET, OF COURSE LIFE GOES ON NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF ANOTHER WAR. CORRECT. SO WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE, I HOPE WILL REFLECT ON THE MESSAGE OF WHAT TUNNEL TO TOWERS REPRESENTS, NOT JUST REPRESENTS ONLY NINE OVER 11 IN NEW YORK, THEY COVER GOLD STAR FAMILY MORTGAGES, CATASTROPHICALLY INJURED VETERANS AND MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDER MORTGAGES. RIGHT NOW, THEY’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF BUILDING HOMELESS VETERANS CENTERS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. THEY’VE ACTUALLY PAID OFF 1700 MORTGAGES ALL ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO HELP VETERANS, FIRST RESPONDERS, MILITARY. ALL OF THAT BECAUSE OF THE CATASTROPHE ON 9/11. WE NEED TO KEEP DOING GOOD IN OUR LIFE ALL THE TIME. HELP OUR OTHER FELLOW VETERAN AND OUR NEIGHBOR OUT. WELL, JIM, I APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO TO SPREAD THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ALL OF US. AND AGAIN, IF YOU’D LIKE TO DONATE TO JIM, TO THE TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION, AS JIM IS MAKING HIS WAY TO THE 9/11 MEMORIAL, YOU CAN FIN
Navy veteran biking across America to help first responders
A local Navy veteran is biking across America to raise money for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.The foundation was created to help first responders and veterans after 9/11, turning a national tragedy into a journey of inspiration.On Monday, Hearst television station WLWT was joined by Jim Serger, who has dedicated his life to sharing people’s stories from that tragic day.See the full interview in the video player above.For more information on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and to donate, click here.
A local Navy veteran is biking across America to raise money for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.
The foundation was created to help first responders and veterans after 9/11, turning a national tragedy into a journey of inspiration.
On Monday, Hearst television station WLWT was joined by Jim Serger, who has dedicated his life to sharing people’s stories from that tragic day.
See the full interview in the video player above.
For more information on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and to donate, click here.
