L-R: Perry Steed, Jason Conyers, and Bruce Knobloch getting in some practice miles before their Ride for Light to raise awareness of veteran suicide.

Just because his first mission is complete doesn?t mean the battle is over for Perry Steed. In May 2022, the former Army paratrooper set out on his first Ride for Light, hitting 48 states on his BMW R 1200 GS and carrying the ashes of two brothers in arms. His goal was to raise awareness for the issue of veteran suicide. Two years later, Steed is taking a second Ride for Light, but this time, he?s kicking it up a notch, taking the show on the road ? or more appropriately, making the road into a show.

Related: Veteran Takes a 15,000-mile ?Ride for Light?

The 2024 Ride for Light will still be under the banner of Operation: Purpose, the 501(c)(3) that Steed set up to foster and nurture a community of veterans in Wilmington, North Carolina, which has a large military population. However, the ride itself is more about the larger epidemic of veteran suicide. And this time, Steed won?t be riding alone.
?We?re a blended crew this year,? he told me. ?I?ve got my battle buddy who I actually grew up with. He and I joined the Army within a couple of days of each other. We had the same job, went through basic training and AIT (advanced individual training) together, and were at Fort Bragg together.?

L-R: Perry Steed, Bruce Knobloch, and Jason Conyers.

Steed said Bruce Knobloch came to see him the night Steed?s oldest child...