JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - A young verteran touched by war’s deadly circumstances reached the end of a symbolic journey.
And it happened right here in eastern Carolina - Emerald Isle, in fact.
Levi Aho left California on a cross-country bike ride two months ago. It started as a tribute to his best friend, but the trip rolled into more than that with every mile.
"California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and now here," said Levi Aho, a former Marine riding a bicycle across the country.
He takes daily trips as short as 22 miles and as long as 160.
"There's days when I've wanted to throw the bike off a cliff, set it on fire and walk home," Aho said.
Instead, he persevered. Now, 3,000 miles later there's definitely a bond with his trusty ride.
"Milennium Falcon," Aho proclaims the name he gave his bike.
The 23-year-old Levi Aho isn't a fan of "Star Wars." He is, however, a veteran of two wars: Iraq and Afghanistan. This trip is for those who didn't make it.
"In a sense become the voice of those silenced forever and this is just one way of honoring those who've given everything they had," Aho said.
Aho doesn't quite ride alone. The former gunner on Marine convoys carries his good luck charm.
"For the entire deployment, I had this flag with me except one mission and July 14th I forgot it and we ended up getting blown up by 2 IEDs that day," Aho said.
Amazingly, everyone walked away. Aho began with one name on the flag. His best friend and fellow Marine killed in a car accident three years ago. There are now about 60. Added by strangers he met along the way.
"It's been very, I guess, heartwarming, uplifting just to see how this has effected so many people." Aho said.
Aho blogs about his trip online. He started his ride by dipping his back tire in California's Pacific Ocean. It ended Friday when his front tire hit the water at Emerald Isle while escorted by the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club.
"I've seen the good that Americans still have,” Aho said. “Just seeing how, you know, random people like just give me a place to sleep, give me a meal, you know, just seeing that there's still a lot of good out there in the world and that's, I needed that reminder."
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