|
| Veteran on long march for health care By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:47 PM PDT By the time Eddie Gray had tramped halfway through the state of Washington, he’d lost feeling in his feet and his ankles were rolling on him, causing him to slip and stumble. That forced him to stop and seek treatment for battered nerves on the soles of his feet. After a brief stay at a hospital, he resumed his course, walking south. That was in February. On the morning of April 1, having hiked to Princeton along Highway 92, he stepped through the front door to the American Legion Coastside Post 474 – to share in the company of fellow former soldiers. The ex-Marine is on a mission, one shared by veterans with war-torn minds and bodies across the country: Enhanced health care for men and women who have served in the armed forces. “Freedom is not free and I wanted to see if people realize that,” Gray says. “They take advantage of what they have, thinking it’s given to them … Some don’t realize it’s a sacrifice given by others, and they have questions. So I’m walking around the country to fill in the gaps.” Gray, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe brought up near Billings, Mont., is trekking through the border-states to raise general awareness about soldiers, their duties and sacrifices, and where the government falls short in providing treatment for their mental and physical afflictions. Raised by his grandfather, a World War II veteran who returned from battle with severe leg injuries and long-lasting post-traumatic stress disorder, Gray has always known that the casualties of war include soldiers who make it home. Living in a rural part of the country, Gray says, has been a hindrance to securing suitable treatment for his grandfather, and for his hometown friends who saw battle in the Middle East. Gray’s idea to hike the perimeter of America stems from those experiences; he thinks his fellow veterans deserve better. The plan first popped into his head during a mock ambush military training exercise in North Carolina in 1998. No one was injured during the exercise, but Grays says he caught a glimpse of the brutal realities of war and became inspired. Ten years later, to the day, he departed his hometown on foot, humping a knapsack of bare essentials – sleeping bag, tent, granola bars, clean underwear and a copy of his favorite film, “Full Metal Jacket.” “A lot of people appreciate and support what I’m doing and why I’m doing it … People have been helping me along the way. It makes them feel like they’re a part of something big,” Gray said. Friday marked the anniversary of his journey; Saturday was his 34th birthday. To celebrate, members of Post 474 in Princeton stirred him up a fresh pot of his favorite fare: buffalo stew. “The posts are like my home away from home,” Gray says, grinning and leaning back in his chair amidst the chatter inside Post 474 on a sunny afternoon. On the road, Gray’s appearance is that of an average hitchhiker – baseball cap, camping pack and cargo pants shuffling slowly but steadily on the shoulder of a highway. He doesn’t accept rides, though. He’d prefer to walk; it affords him the most time with the most people, he says. He is identifiable by a close-cropped military-style crew cut, orange polar fleece adorned with a U.S. Marine Corps pin over his heart, and custom “native American” Nike cross-trainers. The sneaker giant sponsors Gray and his cause by shipping him fresh shoes upon request. In his estimated 2,600 miles of walking thus far, his feet have eaten through three pairs. When exhaustion sets in or his knees begin to buckle, Gray finds places to nap. The night before arriving on the Coastside, he slept in Golden Gate National Cemetery among the tombstones of deceased veterans – “one of the most comfortable sleeps I’ve had,” Gray says. His weathered face tells the story of months of traveling roadside and close encounters with speeding cars, grouchy mountain lions and “good, genuine people” on what Gray calls his “odyssey.” Today he marches to Santa Cruz, the next stop on his journey, to fraternize with the locals and try and turn a few heads in his direction. |