Photo Information

Master Chief Jody Fletcher, the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command command master chief, receives an Operation One Voice branded coin from Bill Stevens, the founder of OOV, during a ceremony at the Fallen Heroes Memorial at the Gwinnett Justice Center in Lawrenceville, Ga., Sept. 11, 2014. Fletcher, Stevens and other Marines, sailors and OOV volunteers embarked on a 465-mile bike ride from North Carolina to Florida to honor Master Sgt. Aaron Torian, an explosive ordinance disposal technician and team chief with 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, who was killed in action Jan. 29, 2014, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Donovan Lee/released)

Photo by Cpl. Donovan Lee

MARSOC Marines, sailors ride to remember

3 Dec 2014 | Sgt. Donovan Lee The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

Marines and sailors with U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and volunteers and staff with Operation One Voice bicycled 465 miles from North Carolina to Georgia during the eighth annual Honor Ride Sept. 8-12.

Sponsored by Operation One Voice, the Honor Ride has been held each year since 2007 to honor an individual or group of individuals from different Special Operations Components. This year, the ride was in memory of U.S. Marine Master Sgt. Aaron Torian.

Torian was mortally wounded while assigned as a team chief with Marine Special Operations Company Hotel, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force- Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Jan., 29, 2014.

Bill Stevens, founder and board member of, said the non-profit organization was stood up right after 9/11, primarily by police officers and fire fighters joining with the business community, to provide support to fallen and wounded special operations forces families.

The ride began following a brief ceremony outside the MARSOC headquarters building, here. During the ceremony, board members from Operation One Voice presented commemorative plaques to Jurley Torian, Master Sgt. Torian’s widow, and Maj. Gen. Joseph Osterman, the MARSOC commander.

“The plaques were made by a Gwinnett County (Georgia) fire fighter in the shape of a paddle, which has a lineage back to special operations,” said Stevens.

It took the Marines, sailors, law enforcement officers and volunteers and staff with Operation One Voice just four days to bicycle from the MARSOC headquarters to their final destination at the Fallen Heroes Memorial at the Gwinnett Justice Center in Lawrenceville, Ga.

Throughout the ride, the bicyclists faced hills, flat tires, rain, heat and traffic. The ride was challenging, but everyone worked together and finished in good time.

“After spending six hours a day in the saddle with these guys, you build a level of camaraderie as all of us try to complete the mission,” said Master Chief Jody Fletcher, the MARSOC Command Master Chief.

At the Fallen Heroes Memorial, the group held a ceremony for all fallen service members since 9/11.

Following the ceremony, the bicyclists loaded into vehicles and traveled to The Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Fla., for the fourth annual Warrior Weekend.

Warrior Weekend is an event hosted by Operation One Voice which offers wounded warriors, widows and their families a vacation weekend to relax and remember their fallen heroes.

“(These families) have shared experiences and obstacles, and the things that they have dealt with, either loosing someone or learning to live with a wounded veteran at home,” said Fletcher. “This (event) brings everyone together from all the different commands and helps to facilitate support as well as relationships.”

Operation One Voice concluded the week with a ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton for Master Sgt. Torian and all other fallen and wounded service members, as well as fallen law enforcement officers and fire fighters since 9/11.

“Master Sgt. Torian was the paradigm of a professional warrior,” said Fletcher. “He spoke without saying a word, he led by example and left a lasting imprint on everyone he came in contact with and his ferocity was equally matched by his empathy.”