William Shuttleworth (71) is an Air Force veteran from Massachusetts and is having his real life Forrest Gump moment — but, unlike Tom Hanks’ iconic character, William’s venture is for a good cause: To walk across the entire continental United States in an effort to raise money and awareness for veterans.
Funds raised will go to the Disabled American Veterans Association (DAV) in an effort he calls Vets Don’t Forget Vets.
William’s plan is to cover about 25 miles per day. For context, a marathon is 26.2 miles.
The idea for his trek across America started while William was in California a few months ago and was speaking with homeless veterans.
William shares, “As I’ve been talking to other veterans, they get the short end of the stick all the time. He continues, “They have PTSD, the high suicide rate, lack of appropriate medical care, opioid and alcoholism that’s untreated. And instead of complaining about it, I said: Why don’t I do something about it? And I think if I walk across the country, engage people, it becomes a momentum that has its own force.”
During his venture, William plans to stop and chat with every veteran he can — at homes . . . VA Centers . . . American Legions . . . and everything in between.
The former school superintendent is also getting a lot of support while he walks, saying “They honked the horn, they pulled over, they want to buy me coffee, they want to chat, they have a story about their own family members.”
(MSN)
