After 21 years in the U.S. Navy, Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Brandon van Baggen marked his retirement with a journey he described as a mission that continued beyond military service.
His project, The Long Ride Home, was a 2,200-kilometer cycling effort from his hometown of Portland, Oregon, to Coronado, California, in support of veterans’ mental health.
Van Baggen, originally from Portland, joined the Navy to travel the world. He first served on Whidbey Island with VAQ-131, deploying aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln before moving into the Information Systems Technician rating. Training in Oahu with Navy Communications Station Area Master Station (NCTAMS PAC) led to an Individual Augmentee tour supporting Special Operations in the Middle East. That experience drew him into the Naval Special Warfare community, where he served with SEAL Teams FIVE and THREE, Special Reconnaissance Team ONE, WARCOM, and Tactical Communications Team ONE from 2012 until 2025…