Marine Corps veteran Jeremy Staat pedaled into Sun Devil Stadium Thursday afternoon, 15 years after last taking the field as a defensive lineman.
Staat, who was joined by fellow veteran and friend Wesley Barrientos, are on day 19 of a 100-day bicycle trek across America to raise awareness for veteran issues and childhood obesity.
“We’re all here for something,” he said. “Every morning when we wake up and we have breath in our lungs, we have the ability to go out and do great things.”
Staat was drafted out of ASU by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998, but returned and earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies at ASU in 2009.
While at ASU, he became good friends with teammate Pat Tillman. Tillman talked Staat out of immediately enlisting in the military after 9/11, which had a profound impact on Staat.
“I realized that life wasn’t about me,” Staat said. “Too often we get a lot of these athletes thinking that they’ve done it themselves, and they don’t realize that nobody gets to the top on their own. Joining the Marine Corps was just a way for me to serve others instead of myself.”
He promised Tillman he would finish out his NFL career and earn his retirement. Staat joined the Marine Corps in 2006.
“I thought, I’ve already fulfilled my promise to Pat, and I’m going to finish what I started back in 2001,” Staat said.
He spent a relatively calm nine months in Iraq and learned that he had heart problems while training for his next deployment.
While waiting for a medical discharge, Staat decided to finish his degree at ASU, graduating in the spring of 2009.
Staat moved back to his childhood home of Bakersfield, Calif., where he met Barrientos.
Barrientos enlisted in the army after graduating high school in 2002.
He served three tours of duty in Iraq. The third tour was cut short when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle, causing him to lose both of his legs.
Barrientos rides a modified bike he pedals with his hands. He said it takes more energy to work than a standard bicycle, but he considers the extra effort to be worth it.
“I’m not putting up any excuses,” he said. “I do everything I can the best I can, not for me, not for Jeremy, not for one single person, but for everybody in general.”
Barrientos chose to leave the military because he could no longer do the job he loved in the infantry, but he remained active as a veteran.
He and Staat began working to build the Wall of Valor, a memorial commemorating the more than 1,000 men and women from Kern County, Calif., who have died in combat since World War I.
Their ride began at the Wall of Valor and will culminate Memorial Day at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
Barrientos and other members of the Jeremy Staat Foundation have worked to bring awareness of veterans and the problems they face to the community, as well as the issue of childhood obesity.
“I want to let them know that what they play with or what they watch on TV isn’t the reality of things,” he said.
Political science freshman Andrew Coleman came to see Staat and Barrientos when they arrived and stuck around for several hours to get a picture with them.
He said their mission intrigued him because he enjoys biking and has friends and family who have served or are planning to serve in the military.
“The two of them both speak from the heart, so it’s very relatable to people,” Coleman said. “Their message is so strong and positive.”
Staat and Barrientos will speak about their mission and experiences at the Pat Tillman’s Veterans Center at 3 p.m. Friday.
Reach the reporter at julia.shumway@asu.edu or follow @JMShumway on Twitter.
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