Walk Off The War - Has anyone here done this?

CDR Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 05 May 2015 19:13:10 -0400

Supporting combat veterans thru-hiking America's National Scenic Trails.

Response by CDR Private RallyPoint Member made May 5 at 2015 7:15 PM

CDR Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 05 May 2015 19:15:17 -0400

I thought about doing this after I retire...or maybe just walking across the U.S. from my last duty station to my home in CA, sort of a long way home PCS. I think it might just be a nice opportunity to leave everything behind...well, all the bad stuff, anyway.

Response by Sgt Branden W. made May 5 at 2015 7:14 PM

Sgt Branden W. — Tue, 05 May 2015 19:14:39 -0400

Never done it. The more I read about it, the more I want to do it. Wife and kids may disagree. Great idea nonetheless.

Response by SSG Paul Lanciault made May 5 at 2015 8:33 PM

SSG Paul Lanciault — Tue, 05 May 2015 20:33:46 -0400

Would love to know more

Response by CPT Bob Moore made May 6 at 2015 9:18 AM

CPT Bob Moore — Wed, 06 May 2015 09:18:27 -0400

This is pretty interesting and some of the things I read on their site make sense to me. I used to hike and camp quite a bit, but I don't do it much anymore. I may look into it a little further.

Here are the parts of their site that I find particularly interesting:

"Historically, military units would experience a lengthy journey home after fighting a campaign abroad. During this journey home, warriors would process and come to terms with their wartime experiences. But in today’s age of modern transportation military personnel can find themselves home within a few days of serving in a combat zone." (http://warriorhike.org/about/)

The schedules for their hikes are also quite reasonable looking. They are not pushing a fast pace, so it looks like people of all levels could participate.

Response by MSgt James Mullis made May 7 at 2015 11:58 AM

MSgt James Mullis — Thu, 07 May 2015 11:58:54 -0400

It looks like an awesome program. I've done a few stretches of the Arizona trail and my father-in-law (a retired Vietnam era Army Colonel) helped with a great deal of its construction and was a member of the trails governing board until last year.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 7 at 2015 6:48 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 07 May 2015 18:48:17 -0400

Looks like fun and therapeutic. Some people really need to give their minds something new to think about.

Response by CPT Bob Moore made May 7 at 2015 7:43 PM

CPT Bob Moore — Thu, 07 May 2015 19:43:59 -0400

I emailed them yesterday and I had a return email this morning when I got to work.

They said they are going to add some shorter 3 month hikes to go with the 6 month hikes on their website. They also said they may consider adding even shorter trails in the future such as the Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky.