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