Ride not over yet

Jacob George, left, and Spencer Hindmarsh are two veterans participating in the Ride Till the End protest against the Afghan war. A benefit aiding Ride Till the End will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4 at Whole Earth Organic Lounge in Fayetteville. Still on the Hill and Strange Heroes will provide live music.

Benefit to help veteran-led protest keep on rolling

By Ginny Masullo
TFW Contributing Writer

Jacob George credits the residents of Fayetteville with the escalating success of Ride Till the End.
“This movement,” says George, a veteran, “which now has national and international attention, shows what the power of a small community can do.”
George, along with other bicycle riders, rode out of Fayetteville on May 1 to cross the South in a veteran-led protest against the Afghan war. Residents will have another chance to help keep the wheels turning during a live music benefit at Whole Earth Organic Lounge in Fayetteville.
The intent of RTE is multifold, say George and Spencer Hindmarsh, who joined George for the ride in Houston on July 4. Hindmarsh did two tours in Afghanistan as a linguist who intercepted communications and analyzed data for the Air Force. He told his father, who is a disabled Vietnam veteran, he would take a year off from law school to find inner peace and to raise awareness about the discrepancies between what the American people are being told and what is actually occurring in Afghanistan.
Hindmarsh says there is “an information vacuum in this country that only experienced veterans can fill.”
Spencer and George are both adamant that the RTE is about giving a greater voice to veterans. Both of these veterans believe that the more veterans tell their stories, the greater chance we have of changing the narratives of war that are being created by the government through a controlled media.
The first leg of RTE, which for George involved 1,800 miles and for Spencer about half that, has fed the hope and vision they have for RTE. Many other cyclists and veterans joined them as they rode through and to various places in the South. In September they will continue their ride to schools and churches across the nation.
Kelly Mulhollan of Fayetteville and a member of Still on the Hill said when he heard about RTE and Jacob, he saw the potential to do something substantial about the war.
“I’d been terribly frustrated by the lack of opposition to the war, even among my liberal friends,” says Mulhollan. “The war on Afghanistan is a testament to the failure of our government, our president and our culture in its ability to gauge right and wrong. It is ironic that it may end up being the returning vets that have the wisdom and morality to finally end this thing.”