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As the 100-degree Fahrenheit heat and humidity mercilessly held
onto the day, the mountain bike riders slogged through the mud and
then looked hopelessly up at the giant hill.
For Army veteran
Spc. Jose E. Santiago, thoughts of giving up crept into his mind for
the hundredth time.
The Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran was
in his homeland of Puerto Rico, and he was in charge of a ten-man
veteran team of cyclists for a 100-kilometer race, the Las 100 De La
Parguera. He was cramping. He was in pain.
Yet, Santiago had
trained for this race and he was determined to finish it.
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August 13, 2016 - Iraqi Freedom veteran
Spc. Jose E. Santiago rides a mountain bike along an oceanside road
in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Santiago rode in a 100-kilometer race in
Puerto Rico for the Warriors 4 Life non-profit veterans group, which
helps veterans cope with physical and psychological wounds and
creates healthy lifestyles for them and their families.
(DoD photo by EJ Hersom)
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“It was emotional,” Santiago said of finishing the race after
seeing his teammates cheering him on at the finish line. “It was
awesome to see them. I knew they would be there waiting for me.”
Saving Lives
Santiago joined the Army 1999 as a
combat medic to take care of his son, who's autistic, and because he
admired his uncle, who served 21 years in the Army National Guard.
He deployed to Iraq from 2003 to 2004 with the 3rd Army Cavalry
Regiment as a line medic. He said he enjoyed saving lives.
“I
have no regrets about being a medic. I enjoyed every single minute
of it,” he said. “But it was frustrating at times because you want
to be able to help and save everybody. It burns you out a little
bit.”
Santiago said he received a traumatic brain injury by
being knocked unconscious several times from roadside bomb blasts
hitting vehicles he was riding in. He was involved in three
ambushes. He also has post-traumatic stress disorder. He said his
focus during his missions wasn't on himself.
“My focus was on
my patients and on my people,” he said.
Recovery
The combat
medic said he didn't realize he had PTSD at first but he was having
trouble falling asleep and having nightmares. He had fallen off of a
tank while in Iraq and had sustained a neck injury yet hadn't been
hospitalized for it, but was medically separated after seven years
of service due to his PTSD, TBI, neck injury, shoulder injury and
gout.
He said he hid his PTSD symptoms
with alcohol.
“I had a lot of guilt after I came back from
Iraq. I lost a buddy up there and I was the medic there on the
scene. After I got out and to this day it still bothers me, so I was
one of those veterans who looked for danger. I never tried to hurt
myself, but I looked for danger, seeking to get hurt,” he said.
His outlet was being a bouncer at a club and breaking up fights,
hoping guys would take a swing at him. “I had guns pointed at my
head twice and I didn't care. I would just laugh at them,” he said.
Santiago said he pushed his family away and wouldn't let them be
part of his recovery process. “When I got out of the Army, I started
living in Colorado. I had no family in Colorado at the time. My
family lives in Puerto Rico. Every time they saw me they were
concerned, but I always pushed them away, so I didn't allow them to
be part of my recovery process.”
The turning point for him
was when some of his battle buddies reached out to him. “They told
me I have some problems, and I listened to them. I went to the
hospital for seven weeks. After that, I picked up cycling and that's
what helped me get over that hump. It's helped me,” he said.
Warriors 4 Life
Santiago met his current wife, Joann Villegas, and they created the
nonprofit group,
Warriors 4
Life, a cycling club where veterans of all disabilities can ride
hand cycles, recumbents and road bikes across the nation. He said he
only intended it as a club for a small get together but it quickly
grew.
“Our mission is to help the veterans with visible and
invisible injuries through cycling, to help them with their recovery
process and for those that are recovered, keep a continued recovery
process. We also want to bring awareness to the community and to
raise awareness to stop veteran suicides,” he said.
The
organization is based in Colorado and has begun cooking monthly for
the homeless and raising money in Puerto Rico for the Parkinson's
Foundation and Kids with Cancer.
Santiago said he started
cycling with mountain biking. His first big event was in Colorado,
where he rode 350 miles. He said he thought the ride was crazy, and
he wanted to quit but then a veteran came up to him and offered to
push him.
“This veteran was an amputee and is pushing me. All
I have is PTSD and a brain injury. ‘Well, if he can do this, I can
do this,' I thought to myself. I can't let anything bring me down,
so from there on, I've had my ups and downs, but that's what got me
so motivated,” Santiago said. “These guys have that will. I've been
to the point where I was almost about to give up on me and
everything in my life. I didn't want to live but seeing so many
veterans, especially amputees out here cycling and participating in
adaptive sports, I got this.”
Honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment
The
Warriors4Life team is honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed
“The Borinqueneers,” by dedicating their rides throughout the year.
They rode with members of the 65th during a Memorial Day ride. The
regiment's veterans earned the Congressional Gold Medal in April.
They served in World War II and Korea and served in the last
segregated unit and the last battalion-sized bayonet assault in Army
history.
“When I saw on the news that they got recognized, and I'm Puerto
Rican, it was a proud moment for me,” Santiago said. “Even though I
wasn't from that era, it's how it all started for us. Right away, we
said we have to represent them. We have to dedicate something to
them. And to meet them, it just gave me goosebumps. When we did the
ride, to have veterans from World War II, Vietnam and Korea, it was
a great honor.”
Family
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The Warriors 4 Life team stops to take a group photo during their two-day, 110-mile Face of America bike ride from Arlington, Va., to Gettysburg, PA, April 25-26, 2015. More than 150 disabled veteran cyclists and 600 able-bodied cyclists participated in the annual World T.E.A.M. Sports event. Throughout the event, each cyclist helped each other along the course.
(Warriors 4 Life courtesy photo)
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Santiago said he continues to lead Warriors4Life and his teams in
rides like the 100-kilometer race in Lajas, Puerto Rico, because of
the fellowship.
“It's about the camaraderie, the teamwork,
helping each other and having that military feeling again. It's
having each other's back,” Santiago said as he flips a pork chop on
the grill and then seasons some ceviche, utilizing his degree in
culinary arts. “We have dinner together, a quick ride, celebrate
Puerto Rico winning its first Olympic gold medal, the whole
camaraderie, that's what it's all about.”
Santiago said he's seen a lot of the veterans he's worked with
reduce their medications from 10 to 20 to one-fourth by cycling. “I
used to take 10 to 12 medications, and now I'm down to three, and I
don't take them all the time,” Santiago said, smiling. “My
medication is my bike. We've had guys who've been in wheelchairs,
and they're like speedsters on the bike and that's what keeps us
going.”
As Santiago and his fellow veterans wash the mud off
their bikes and dig into their pork chops, rice and ceviche,
Santiago takes a phone call. He says he's always busy.
“If a
veteran calls and needs me, I'll be there for them. If I can't help
them, I'll try to guide them in the right direction. I love it and
enjoy every minute of it,” he said with a big peaceful smile.
By Shannon Collins
DOD News / Defense Media Activity
Copyright 2016
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