MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Three Navy Information Operations Command sailors stationed on board Misawa Air Base completed a 160-mile bike ride for charity, Oct. 25.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Reuben Cuenca, a cryptologic technician (collection), Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Remley, a cryptologic technician (collection), and Petty Officer 3rd Class Marshall Pierce, a cryptologic technician (collection), bicycled roundtrip from the city of Misawa, Japan to Morioka, Japan in order to raise money for the Akebono Orphanage.
The three sailors began training for this ride back in June and spent numerous weekends cycling around Misawa’s Lake Ogawara and laboring through endless rice fields - all during Misawa’s oppressive summer heat wave.
“We’ve been riding just about every weekend doing nothing less than 40 miles,” said Remley. Ultimately his team would pedal their way to 100-mile days in preparation for their ultimate goal.
It was while training that the sailors decided to dedicate their ride to charity.
“We just came up with an idea and went with it,” said Pierce. “It just took a little bit of inspiration and the ball was rolling from there.
Together, the three sailors raised more than $4,000 through donations from co-workers and family members. They decided to donate the money to the local orphanage since NIOC sailors have a decades-long history of volunteering there.
Upon their return to Misawa, the sailors were tired, but proud of what they accomplished.
“I think it was great. We hope [sailors] in the future take what we have done and go further with it,” said Pierce. “I mean we’re just a bunch of bike-riding idiots and we had no idea it would turn into something this successful.”
For more news from Naval Air Facility Misawa, visit https://www.cnic.navy.mil/misawa/index.htm or check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nafmisawa.