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| Pacific Crest Trail |
As some readers will recall, one of my sons-in-law was seriously wounded in Afghanistan by an IED a year ago this past November. Thankfully, he has made great progress in his recovery and upon exiting the U.S. Military in May he will participate in "The Warrior Hike" which aims to help veterans "walk off the war" and complete their recovery. Warrior Hike Executive Director Sean Gobin says "hiking over 2,000 miles during the course of six months gives
veterans an opportunity to decompress and come to terms with their
wartime experiences." My son-in-law will be hiking the Pacific Crest Trail which runs from the Mexico border to Canada. Webwire has details on the program and this year's participants. Here are highlights:
For the first time, the Warrior Hike Program will deploy 26 of America’s returning combat veterans in three teams to “Walk Off The War,” by thru-hiking the triple crown of America’s National Scenic Trails – the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest Trails. The veterans will use this six-month-long, 2000-plus-mile physical challenge to come to terms with their wartime experiences and reconnect to civilian life.
In 2013, 14 returning combat veterans thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail located in eastern United States. This year, Warrior Hike has nearly doubled the number of hiking veterans, and has expanded to include the Continental Divide and the Pacific Crest Trails, in western United States, in order to include combat veterans from around the country.
Today, the first Warrior Hike team of 14 veterans begins its journey at the start of the Appalachian Trail in Dawsonville, GA. The second and third teams, each composed of 6 veterans will begin their thru-hike on April 12, on the Continental Divide Trail in Crazy Crook, NM, and the Pacific Crest Trail in Campo, CA.
The “Walk Off The War” Program provides participating combat veterans with the equipment and supplies required to complete a six-month thru-hike of a National Scenic Trail; coordinates trail town support in the forms of transportation, food, and lodging along the trails; and assists veterans with future employment opportunities through program partners and sponsors.
This year, researchers from Georgia Southern University will measure the benefits of the “Walk Off The War” Program to evaluate how a long-term wilderness experience affects the well-being of combat veterans. The goal of this research is to demonstrate that long-distance hiking can be used as an effective therapy to help veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Major sponsors for Warrior Hike are Ahnu Footwear, Big Agnes, Fujifilm, and Granite Gear.
For more about Warrior Hike, trail town events, and hike schedules, visit www.warriorhike.com. To learn how to support a trail town event please email warriorhike@gmail.com .
The 2014 Warrior Hikers are:
Appalachian Trail
Name: Scott Brooks-Miller
Hometown: Peoria, IL
Resides: Dexter, MI
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Track Vehicle Repairman
Deployments: Vietnam
Name: Eddie Bryant
Hometown: New Baltimore, MI
Resides: Three Rivers, MI
Service: United States Army
MOS: Avionic Survivability Equipment Repairer
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Matthew Donnelly
Hometown: Shohola, PA
Resides: Atlanta, GA
Service: United States Navy
MOS: Aviation Maintenance Administration
Deployments: Persian Gulf
Name: Arthur Haun
Hometown: Erwin, TN
Resides: Erwin, TN
Service: United States Army
MOS: Infantryman
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Jamey Pierson
Hometown: Elmira, NY
Resides: Elmira, NY
Service: United States Air Force
MOS: Medical Administrative Specialist
Deployments: Air Force Mortuary Affairs Center
Name: Jesse Swensgard
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Resides: Cincinnati, OH
Service: United States Air Force
MOS: Aerospace Maintenance
Deployments: Afghanistan
Name: Brian Wing
Hometown: Manassas, VA
Resides: Manassas, VA
Service: United States Coast Guard
MOS: Port Security Specialist
Deployments: Ground Zero New York
Continental Divide Trail:
Name: Cosmo Brown
Hometown: Groton, VT
Resides: Pittsburgh, PA
Service: United States Army
MOS: Health Care Specialist
Deployments: Iraq, Afghanistan
Name: Robert Crampton
Hometown: Ypsilanti, MI
Resides: Springfield, MO
Service: United States Army
MOS: Radar Equipment Foreman
Deployments: Germany
Name: Calvin Hall
Hometown: Denison, TX
Resides: Van Alstyne, TX
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Antitank Assaultman
Deployments: Southwest Asia
Name; Richard Morrogh
Hometown: Burke, VA
Resides: Front Royal, VA
Service: United States Army
MOS: Combat Engineer
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Todd Rogers
Hometown: East Greenbush, NY
Resides: Brockport, NY
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Infantry Rifleman
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Cecil Thayer
Hometown: Massillon, OH
Resides: Canton, OH
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Infantry Machine Gunner
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Joseph Young
Hometown: Orange, MA
Resides: Orange, MA
Service: United States Army
MOS: Tank Artillery Mechanic
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Andrew Brennan
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Resides: Pittsburgh, PA
Service: United States Army
MOS: Black Hawk Pilot
Deployments: Afghanistan
Name: Thomas Gathman
Hometown: Lewisburg, PA
Resides: State College, PA
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Infantry Rifleman
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Christopher Rickert
Hometown: New Holland, PA
Resides: Narvon, PA
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Infantry Assaultman
Deployments: Afghanistan
Name: Ricky Davis
Hometown: Jacksonville, NC
Resides: Carolina Beach, NC
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Infantry Machine Gunner
Deployments: Iraq, Afghanistan
Name: Shawn Murphy
Hometown: Toledo, OH
Resides: Auburn, WA
Service: United States Army
MOS: Military Police
Deployments: Korea
Name: Robert Voorhis
Hometown: Chenango Forks, NY
Resides: Reston, VA
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Electronic Intelligence Intercept Operator
Deployments: Afghanistan
Pacific Crest Trail
Name: Thomas Bielecki
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Resides: Alto, MI
Service: United States Army
MOS: Infantryman
Deployments: Afghanistan
Name: Kevin Black
Hometown: Clarksburg, WV
Resides: Fallbrook, CA
Service: United States Marine Corps
MOS: Legal Services Specialist
Deployments: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
Name: Joshua Dunn
Hometown: Dalton, GA
Resides: Mechanicsburg, PA
Service: United States Army
MOS: Ammunition Specialist
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Joshua Shields
Hometown: Mundelein, IL
Resides: Saint Amant, LA
Service: United States Air Force
MOS: Airborne Cyrptologic Language Analyst
Deployments: Iraq
Name: Angela Powell
Hometown: South Haven, KS
Resides: Prescott, AZ
Service: United States Navy
MOS: Damage Controlman
Deployments: Southeast Asia, Iraq, Persian Gulf
Name: Shawn White
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Resides: Olympia, WA
Service: United States Army
MOS: Combat Engineer
Deployments: Iraq, Afghanistan
We are proud of my son-in-law and will have the added bonus of my daughter and grandson spending a in Hampton Roads for a good part of the summer while he is off on this amazing opportunity. In 2008, my son hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and it was an amazing experience for him. His mother and I were at first not thrilled with the idea, so he perversely adopted the trail name "Bad Idea." It turned out to have been a great idea and I found myself wishing I could have the experience. (Numerous posts on this blog followed his adventure)
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