Veteran Bikes Across the Country for Charity

Marine Corps veteran Rob Jones made a stop in Long Beach today as he bikes across the country to raise money for military veterans' charities, including Ride2Recovery, The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.

He started in Bar Harbor, Maine in October 2013 and will end his trip in Camp Pendleton, California on Saturday.

"It's a challenge," said Jones. "I wanted to see if I could do it. I wanted to challenge myself to grow and I wanted to raise money for these charities."

Jones served as a combat engineer in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and one of his main reponsibilities included searching for buried IEDs, also known as improvised explosive devices, and other weapons caches. 

In 2010 an IED he was searching for went off, giving him the injury that required both his legs to be amputated above the knee.

While in recovery, he re-learned how to compete in several sports, including running, cycling, and rowing, using prosthetic legs. 

He came up with the idea of biking across the country to raise money for the charities that helped him, and his initial goal was to raise one million dollars during the five-month trip. 

People have supported Jones all along his journey, with gestures that range from police escorts and free meals to drivers who roll down their windows to cheer him on and tell him how much his journey means to them.

"I'm very proud of him. He just keeps going. He's not letting losing both his legs get him down at all," said Lenny Jones, Rob's father. 

Jones' team has raised $97,800 so far, and Jones still hopes to raise his target amount by Saturday.