Jaimie Lusk, Astral Ambassador - Joins Rebecca Rusch's advocacy project

Jaimie Lusk is a bike enthusiast and psychologist at the Portland VA. As a combat Veteran, having served as a Marine Officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Jaimie began her psychology training in order to work with Veterans who are healing from PTSD and Moral Injury. Like PTSD, Moral Injury is an invisible wound of war that can keep people from thriving within their communities after military service. In 2015, she began a full-time psychologist position on the PTSD Clinical Team at the Veterans Hospital in Portland, Oregon.

Jaimie was invited to participate in Rebecca Rusch’s advocacy and awareness project in January 2018. During this trip, she will be visiting Mines Advisory Group (MAG) workers actively removing UXOs in Laos. It is her hope to forge a partnership with both Rusch and MAG to offer future opportunities for many other Veterans to become active volunteers in this work to help repair damage, both interpersonally and intrapersonally. She also hopes that in partnership with Rusch, and companies like Rolf Prima/Astral, the Oregon cycling community can join in the effort to support Veteran recovery through increasing Veteran access to bicycling adventure and advocacy.  It is Jaimie’s desire to work with stakeholders--including Veterans recovering from moral injury, and those of us who seek to support this recovery—in “atonement projects” like removing UXOs throughout Southeast Asia, as well as soulful bike adventures that support renewal. 

For all of us, individual healing is inexorably tied to the restoration of our communities and land. If you are interested in supporting Veteran recovery, either through financial support to cover the cost of Jaimie’s Laos project, or through pledging support for future Veteran-centered bicycling recovery adventure, contact Jaimie Lusk, at jaimielusk@gmail.com.

Jaime will be assisted with a set of Astral Wanderlust rims built with White Industry hubs - look for more posts on her adventures.