They served and protected the United States while in the military. Now, as veterans, they’re volunteering to serve and protect Detroit — and they're doing it on bicycles.
Project Peace Peddlers brings together all ages of veterans, from those who served in Vietnam to those who've just returned from Afghanistan.
Desert Storm Army veteran Travis Peters came up with this idea, and he joined Stateside to talk about how the project was born out of his military experience.
"We would go on a lot of peacekeeping missions, humanitarian projects, violent storms, aftermaths, clean-ups and stuff like that. So community service is just embedded in me," Peters said.
"And I love Detroit, so that same global peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts that we did worldwide, why not bring that home?"
Peters sees this as something that will benefit the veterans as much as it will benefit the community.
"A lot of veterans, it gives you a sense of purpose. It gives you that continued service fulfillment right in your own backyard," Peters added.
Peters pitched the idea to Detroit Police Chief James Craig, and he loved it. Now, they are launching the volunteer effort tonight as hundreds of thousands of people head downtown for the big annual Freedom Fireworks.
Listen to the full interview above to hear about how veterans can get involved, why Peters believes this is an arm of the citizens rather than the police, and why this is not a form of vigilantism.
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