Colorado Marine veteran turned teacher raising money to teach students to ride bikes

DENVER (KDVR) — You never quite know what direction life is going to take you, and Colorado veteran John Reid certainly had no idea his journey would take him from the battlefields of Afghanistan to an elementary school gymnasium.

“The Marine Corps was everything. It was my whole identity. And when I got out, I didn’t know where I was going in life. So, I struggled a lot,” Reid told FOX31.

Just a few years ago, he was in a war zone. Wounded while on assignment in Afghanistan.

“(The bullet) came in right through here through my forearm and then came right out through the backside. That was the exit wound right there,” Reid said, pointing to scars on his right arm.

But the people of that country changed Reid’s life all those years ago, and he vowed to honor the memory of a boot camp buddy who died in Afghanistan by doing something to make a difference in the lives of the Afghan people.

“When I started looking for a new job this year, I saw on the (web) page here at McElwain Elementary that they were having cultural days and I saw the Afghan flag. And for me, I was just like, holy cow, this is a full-circle moment like I got to get in there.”

He was hired as the new physical education teacher at the school, and he’s already making a difference in the lives of some Afghan people like Hakim, a young boy who moved with his family to Colorado from Afghanistan six years ago.

“Afghanistan is a beautiful place, but sometimes there might be, like, wars,” Hakim said.

“They have a friend in me, they have a teacher in me, and they have somebody who’s going to have their back for the rest of their life,” Reid said.

But Reid doesn’t want to just teach his students hula hoops and bowling. He knows many of the younger kids at this school don’t even have a bike or know how to ride one. So, he started a fundraiser through a nonprofit called All Kids Bike to buy equipment to teach kids how to ride bikes using special strider bikes with pedals. He hopes to raise $9,000.

“To see them have that like aha moment, like you will never experience something like when you see a kid who says, ‘I can, I can, I can.’ And then the next day, they’re cruising along and they’re just so proud of themselves. It’s just such a beautiful moment,” Reid said.

Reid has given his life to serving others, whether it was in a war zone in Afghanistan or in a school gym surrounded by kids who hail from the very country he risked his life for. The very definition of a hero. So, that’s why he’s being named the FOX31 Serving Those Who Serve Hero of the Month.

Along with a plaque, he gets a $500 Visa gift card from our Serving Those Who Serve sponsors at Ford and the Leo Hill Charitable Trust.

“This is amazing, thank you so much,” Reid said when handed the award.

If you’d like to contribute to his bike fundraiser, visit the donation page . To nominate a veteran or active-duty service member for our Hero of the Month honors, visit the nomination page .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.