NOVEMBER 10 • 2022 | 11

wouldn’t have been very
meaningful. He didn’t want
to walk the 1,700 miles either,
as that would have taken too
long. So he decided he would
ride a bike. The only problem
was that he had never ridden
one before.
At the time, Kaplan, a
University of Michigan grad
who moved to the West Coast
after graduation, was an exec-
utive at Specialized Bikes, a
California-based company
that specialized in high-tech
bicycles. A mutual friend
reached out to Kaplan to see
if he and the company would
get involved.
Kaplan loves the outdoors
and believes in the power
of physical activity to help
heal, especially cycling.
“Specialized believes in ‘ped-
als, not pills,’ and has done
research on using the bike
as a tool to deal with chal-
lenges as opposed to taking
medication,” said Kaplan,
who is also a member of
Metro Detroit’s Make-A-
Wish Team Alex and sup-
ports Federation with any
cycling-related activities.
Kaplan began to brainstorm
how the company could sup-
port Kolenda’s mission. “I had

a handful of ideas of how to
get Specialized on board and
mobilize the full power of the
brand to support him. We
built him a custom-made bike,
which included a custom paint
job,” he said.
On the front of Kolenda’s
bike was the Airborne logo,
representing the paratroopers
in his unit. The paint job also
included the awards and med-
als that the fallen soldiers had
received through their time
of service. On the top tube by
the seat were the words “Saber
Six,” which was this colonel’s
call sign on the radio.
“Then, on the top tube
by the handlebar, we cus-
tom-painted the six names
of the fallen soldiers, so as
he was riding, he could look
down and see their names,”
Kaplan said.
Kolenda invited Kaplan
to meet him in Washington,
D.C., for the last leg of the
trip. They rode through
Mount Vernon, past all the
national monuments and war
memorials, and then ended in
Arlington National Cemetery,
where they went to the final
grave, that of Maj. Tom
Bostick.
“Col. Kolenda is such an

accomplished individual and
inspirational individual to be
taking it upon himself to sup-
port his unit as well as veter-
ans as a whole,” Kaplan said.
He added that this expe-
rience aligns with the values
he learned in Detroit’s Jewish
community: “the power of
community, the power of
philanthropy and the power
of helping those in need,” said
Kaplan, who now works at an
insurance technology com-
pany called NewFront in San
Francisco.
“Everyone I’ve talked to
about this has wanted to do
something to contribute,” he
said.
Many veterans are in crisis.
“When they return home,
they struggle to find the same
sense of purpose they had
while on active duty. Col.
Kolenda wants to shift the
narrative so that these soldiers
are no longer looking in the
rearview mirror, but they’re
looking forward through the
windshield and finding that
new sense of purpose.”

To support the Honor Ride or to

donate, visit sabersixfoundation.com.

Greg Kaplan
near the
Washington
Monument

The names
of the fallen
soldiers on
Kolenda’s
bicycle

Kolenda’s
custom bike built
by Specialized
Bikes