After more than 21 years in uniform did — 14 of them in Coronado did — Senior Chief Brandon van Baggen is making his way to his final duty station the hard way: by bicycle, over 2,200 kilometers of Pacific Coast road.
Van Baggen, who retires from the Navy this month, began his ride this week in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. He calls the project The Long Ride Home, and it will end where his career did — in Coronado, where he has spent more than a decade supporting Naval Special Warfare and Naval Aviation operations.
The numbers behind the ride carry weight. The route includes 22 checkpoints, one for each veteran lost to suicide each day, a figure drawn from a widely cited Department of Veterans Affairs study. The 2,200-kilometer distance (roughly 1,370 miles) represents the long and often difficult road many veterans travel after leaving the service.
“While the ride is centered around raising awareness and support for veteran mental health, the story is ultimately about transition, identity, purpose, and connection after service,” van Baggen said.
That transition is one van Baggen is living in real time. After two decades defined by structure, mission, and the tight-knit community of military life, he said he wanted to create something meaningful that reflected what so many veterans face when that framework falls away.
He is partnering on the ride with Project Echelon, a veteran nonprofit that uses cycling and community to support veterans beyond their time in uniform.
Van Baggen began his ride this week. Supporters can cheer him on and donate here. At the time of publication, he had raised $11,882 to support veteran mental health.
