The Ride to the Flags is a 9/11 memorial charity motorcycle ride organized by the White Heart Foundation to raise funds for one injured warrior. This year’s recipient is Explosive Ordnance Disposal 2 (EOD2) Jordan Stevenson.
Jordan Stevenson, raised in Elk Grove, entered the Navy June 2006 and spent seven years active duty in the Navy as an EOD tech on a dive team locating and discarding underwater mines and bombs. On his first deployment to Afghanistan with the 3rd/75th rangers, he sustained a gunshot wound to the head on Dec. 16, 2011. The gunshot wound caused him to fall from the 30ft wall he was standing on.
His injuries left him with a severe TBI and hemiparesis on his right side, leading to a month in a medically induced coma. After he woke up and was told he would never walk again he was resilient through a year of intense rehabilitation, eventually overcoming odds and learning to walk and talk again. After several ankle issues on his paralyzed leg, Jordan elected to amputate the leg below the knee. In 2023, Jordan plans to bike from Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland to Balboa Medical Center in San Diego to challenge himself all while raising awareness for veteran health.
The ride started at the Naval Base Ventura County — Pt. Mugu at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 11. With a ceremony following at 10 a.m., which included a flyover, rifle salute, and wreath laying.
For more information, visit ridetotheflags.funraise.org or whiteheart.org.
Photos by Julie Ellerton/TMT.
