When Arlington resident Rob Reynolds' one-year tenure as Commander of Chapter 10 of the Disabled American Veterans came to an end, he wanted to do something to mark the occasion.

Since 1984, the former 82nd Airborne infantryman and Special Forces soldier had been involved with the 1.3 million-member organization dedicated to assisting men and women left permanently injured as a result of their wartime service.

A few years back, Harley-Davidson was looking for a veterans' organization to partner with and had chosen the DAV. Reynolds, an avid Harley rider for almost 30 years, put it all together for the perfect plan: a tribute ride across the country timed to coincide with the national DAV conference in Las Vegas, Nev. that took place at the beginning of August.

In the preceding months, he began building a custom blue motorcycle and designed it to be a working, mobile monument to the sacrifice made by disabled veteran soldiers.

"I [built] the bike whenever I had time this past year in my garage," said Reynolds. "I wanted a bike to honor our men and women. The theme is, and you've got to look at the paint, it says: 'We enjoy our freedom every day from sun up to sundown.'"

PHRASES LIKE that can be found all around Reynolds, including his own body. At the King Street Blues on Kingstowne Boulevard in Alexandria, he pulled back his right sleeve to reveal a tattoo of military dog tags inscribed with the phrase "I ride for those who can't." It also appears on the right end of his bike. That mantra doesn't just apply to those who lost their lives, he said, but also for those who survived as well.

"I have friends who are triple amputees, they can't ride motorcycles. They paid a heavy cost," said Reynolds.

King Street Blues, the biker-friendly restaurant and bar, represented the last stop in his 20-day journey from Las Vegas to his hometown in Virginia. For Reynolds, the choice for his final destination was never in question.

"[Owners] Doug [Harvey] and Martin [White], they've been so supportive of me and the DAV," he said. "It had to be my last stop. Where else am I going to go on a Labor Day, where all my family and friends are waiting?"

Waiting outside for him after the final 13-hour leg of his journey (a straight shot from Milwaukee to Kingstowne) were friends, family, military veterans, bikers and in some cases a combination of them to congratulate Reynolds, take pictures with his bike and celebrate with a few beers. Harvey said King Street Blues, which raised over $2,600 for the DAV during Reynolds ride, was grateful that the longtime regular customer made their business the ending point of his journey.

"This is his neighborhood hang out. He comes often with his buddies," said Harvey. "I just think it was natural for him to finish his ride here and meet his buddies for a beer. We're simply happy to support him, he's been a great friend of the restaurant."

THE RIDE ITSELF was a journey. After wrapping up things at the DAV convention, Reynolds risked bad weather and a sore back by zigzagging across the country to rural areas. Speaking to veterans, Reynolds was accompanied by a mobile service unit to help sign up disabled veterans who never filed for the benefits offered to them as a result of their service and injuries. Along the way, he kept a regular blog of his travels, snapped photos and met veterans from all around the country. Occasionally, a supportive biker or veteran — and sometimes both — would contact him and ask to ride their bike along for a portion of his journey. Reynolds almost always agreed, happy to have company to make the long hours on the road easier to deal with.

The ride was more than just a tribute, however. The mobile service units traveled along with him to off the beaten path locations like Zion, Utah and Grand Junction, Colo. The point was to hit more rural areas, at least a few hours away from any major towns or cities. They are, said Reynolds and DAV member Stephen Combs, the most likely places to find disabled veterans who haven't visited a Veterans Affairs office and filed the necessary paperwork to receive their benefits, such as increased pensions, healthcare or burial arrangements.

The mobile service units themselves are vans with enough space for two small offices in the back. Whenever Reynolds would ride into town for a Harley's Heroes event, the name given to the joint DAV-Harley Davidson sponsored visits, the vans would roll in as well, setting up shop and interviewing dozens, sometimes hundreds of veterans looking to collect on benefits due to them.

"We have to remember that nowadays Congress has passed laws requiring the government to tell you about the benefits [they provide]," said Combs.

However, most of the older veterans were discharged before those laws were created. Combs said many surviving soldiers from older conflicts were "drafted, pulled off farms, sent overseas to fight, then discharged and let go, and all they wanted to do is go home. Nobody told them about [the Department of Veterans' Affairs]."

In order to be a member of the DAV, one must be both a veteran and have received a debilitating wartime injury. Wrapping up his one-year term as commander of his DAV chapter, Reynolds is no exception. During a parachute jump gone wrong he sustained significant damage to his L-5 vertebrae and was honorably discharged in 1990. The transition, both physically and mentally, was difficult for him.

"The day I got injured my whole life changed. I was a pretty athletic guy. I played football. Now [I was] confined to a hospital bed," he said, recalling the early days after his accident.

A spinal cord stimulator was inserted into his body to help reduce the chronic pain, and he often tells children at events and rallies that he hopes they never become eligible for membership to his organization.

How did Reynolds recover? Extensive rehabilitation and the will to go on, he said.

"Does it hurt? It hurts every day, but freedom isn't free. You got to have the will to go on and know that there's ability as well as disability," Reynolds said.