Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Sixty one year young Marine's Mission to Prevent Suicides

North Carolina's hot, steaming summer, as usual scorched Weldon's pavements and scattered most people into cool air conditioned rooms to beat the heat but retired Marine Chuck Lewis (61 years young) said, "he decided one day to take a little stroll" and walked approximately 3200 miles from Seattle, Washington, on March 31, 2013 to arrive in Weldon, North Carolina on September 12, 2013 for his "Fallen brothers."

It's not about heroism but it's about "standing up to make a difference" to help prevent the rising suicide rates among our young men and women who sacrificed their lives serving, in Iraq, Afganastan and other military deployments for Americans who would rather beat the heat and forget our soldiers. Oh sure, it's easy to say thank you to our soldiers on Facebook and other social media sites but how many are willing to take a few minutes, to donate to a worthy cause or walk the extra mile for the wounded and disabled vets.

It was near noontime when I recieved a call from Mayor Julia Meacham to grab a camera and meet Chuck at one of our favorite restaurants, Jermonico's Cafe and Catering on route 158. Well, I don't believe in coincidences, niether does Chuck and so as I rushed from Town Hall to my apt and down the stairs. Low and behold, there was Chuck and pushcart bearing a sign in red letters "Walking for the Fallen."

Here's what Chuck had to say about his mission to help prevent suicides of soldiers suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
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Chuck is truly an inspiration and role model for us all to challenge our egos and amnesiac lifestyles of leisure. Follow the link for a slideshow of his visit to Weldon and other states. 

By the way, Chuck says that he has become "addicted to North Carolina's ice cold "sweet tea" and hospitality.

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