Marine begins 4000 mile bicycle ride to honor fallen brother in arms

USMC Veteran, Nick Novotny, has begun a solo cross country bicycle ride to raise awareness about the mental health crisis happening in the military community.

•What motivated you to do this?

The main motivator was to bring light to a good dude that a lot of people in our unit loved, Cpl James Currie. On a macro level, it’s also about the mental health crisis going on within the military as a whole. He ultimately succumbed to alcoholism and drowned in his vomit. James was fearful of command backlash. More so than trying to get help. Mostly, because through my lens, it’s not available. He didn’t want to loose a spot on deployment or have his clearance tampered with.

•What are you trying to accomplish with this endeavor?

Some of the biggest thing I want to accomplish on this is overcoming the mental aspect of doing this alone. Also, waking people up to the realties of life. Stop caring about people only when they’re gone, don’t be afraid to seek help. Additionally, don’t let the restrictive culture mentality of the USMC tell you you’re weak for needing help. Most importantly, to re-tell James story because he shouldn’t be remembered for how he left us. Rather he should be remembered for how he made us feel being around him.

•What do you think will be your biggest obstacles?

Lastly, the hardest parts of the terrain I’m pedaling through (i.e. the elevation), how 7 miles can take 3 hours to get through. Also, the realization my own effort will get me through nothing else or no one else. And really just getting uncomfortable. Also my biggest fear isn’t animals it’s definitely people but thus far no real issues to this point.

The James Currie Memorial Ride

Nick began riding across a modified version of the TransAmerican Trail on June 25th, 2021. He plans to cross over 4,000 miles and more than 10 states. He is currently in Montana when he spoke with Pop Smoke Media. To support Nick along the “The James Currie Memorial Ride