13 hours ago
26
0
Posted On: November 3rd 2026, 07:30 pm
Tagged Users:
Every story has a beginning. Ours started with two words in a letter home: “Be good.”
In February 1972, Capt. Stephen Rusch wrote those words home from the Vietnam War. Eighteen days later, his plane was shot down over Laos. His daughter, our founder @rebeccarusch, was three years old. She grew up knowing him through his letters, his music, and the stories her family shared.
In 2015, Rebecca rode her bike 1,200 miles along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to find the place where he went down, a journey captured in the Emmy-winning film Blood Road. She expected it to feel like an ending. Instead, standing under the tree where he was buried, it felt like meeting him for the first time.
She also saw what the war left behind. Laos is still the most heavily bombed country per capita, and unexploded bombs still injure and kill people every day, many of them children. Rebecca came home with a responsibility to help clear them, to tell this story, and to use her bike for something bigger than racing.
That’s how Be Good was born. Today, alongside Mines Advisory Group (MAG), we continue to support mine clearance in Laos. And since our origin, we’ve grown to use the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution, through mentorship, scholarships, and grassroots partners.
His simple instruction is still our compass: Be good.
Watch the full story: stream Blood Road for free on Red Bull TV using the link in our bio!
In February 1972, Capt. Stephen Rusch wrote those words home from the Vietnam War. Eighteen days later, his plane was shot down over Laos. His daughter, our founder @rebeccarusch, was three years old. She grew up knowing him through his letters, his music, and the stories her family shared.
In 2015, Rebecca rode her bike 1,200 miles along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to find the place where he went down, a journey captured in the Emmy-winning film Blood Road. She expected it to feel like an ending. Instead, standing under the tree where he was buried, it felt like meeting him for the first time.
She also saw what the war left behind. Laos is still the most heavily bombed country per capita, and unexploded bombs still injure and kill people every day, many of them children. Rebecca came home with a responsibility to help clear them, to tell this story, and to use her bike for something bigger than racing.
That’s how Be Good was born. Today, alongside Mines Advisory Group (MAG), we continue to support mine clearance in Laos. And since our origin, we’ve grown to use the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and evolution, through mentorship, scholarships, and grassroots partners.
His simple instruction is still our compass: Be good.
Watch the full story: stream Blood Road for free on Red Bull TV using the link in our bio!
More posts
