Lawrenceville, GA – On September 9, 2019, approximately 35 members of the Operation One Voice Honor Ride Team will begin a 383-mile ride beginning at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Gwinnett County and ending at the Hilton Sandestin Resort in Miramar, FL. This is the 13th annual Honor Ride for the Operation One Voice team which is made up of Gwinnett Sheriff’s Office Deputies, State Patrol Agencies from Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, as well as officers from Chesapeake, VA and Special Operations Service members from the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), Navy Seals and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
Operation One Voice is a 501c non-profit charity dedicated to supporting the quiet professionals of the special operations community by “… raising funds and awareness for the financial needs of the children and families of wounded and fallen Special Operations Forces.” (operationonevoice.org) Since 2004 OOV members have been running, riding and training all in support of these deserving service members and their families. This September 9th the ride is in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II, 3rd Special Forces Group.
SSG Shurer showed tremendous bravery and courage in service to his country and fellow special operations Soldiers while serving with Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336. On April 6, 2008, SSG Shurer was a part of an assault element in Afghanistan that came under heavy enemy fire. It was during this assault that SSG Shurer braved enemy fire to treat an injured Soldier even though his assault team was pinned down by the enemy. It was then that SSG Shurer continued to show great integrity and bravery by fighting his way up the mountainside to the lead elements location where they had sustained serious injuries. SSG Shurer continued to disregard his own personal safety by moving through the intense firefight and continuing to treat injured Soldiers. He then began to evacuate the wounded by carrying and lowering them down the sheer mountainside. Again, he did this without regard to his own personal safety and used his own body as a shield for his injured brothers in arms. Once the wounded were safely evacuated and under the care of a medical evacuation helicopter, SSG Shurer returned to his squad and began to rejoin the fight. Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II was awarded the nations highest honor, the Medal of Honor, by President Donald J. Trump on October 1, 2018. He will be awaiting the finished Operations One Voice Honor Ride Team at the end of the ride at Hilton Sandestin in Miramar, FL.
Operation One Voice invites you to join them on this journey to honor the sacrifices of these Special Operations Soldiers and their families by sharing the story of this ride and the commitment the participants have to their care and well-being. Operation One Voice would also like to invite all who would like to participate in joining them for a 100-mile digital challenge. The Facebook group #Run4O1V will host this challenge over a period of 30 days with a pledge of $0.10 per mile they run/bike/walk etc. and more information can be found by joining.
For more information, please contact Bill Stevens at 404-713-0103, email bill@operationonevoice.org or visit the website www.operationonevoice.org .
— Staff Reports
