Walking for the Fallen Published June 14, 2013 By Airman 1st Class Michael Connors Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Retired United States Marine Corps Sgt. Chuck Lewis is on a six-month, 3,300 mile long journey from Everett, Wash., to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., raising money for wounded veterans along the way. Lewis passed through Minot recently on the second month of his trek, paying a personal tribute to honor the ultimate sacrifice so many have given, and earning money towards his goal of $50,000. "People are asking if I'm young enough, or healthy enough for this journey. The way I look at it is, I'm not getting any younger or healthier so what better time than now?" Lewis said. "Six months is just a drop in the bucket compared to the forty years my friends gave up back in Vietnam." Lewis decided to embark on his mission, called Walking for the Fallen, after two Marines returned home from serving four years in the Marine Corps. One of the Marines came back without his legs, the other came back intact physically, but emotionally scarred. That Marine separated on June 3, returned home on June 4, and was buried by June 30. This tragedy made Lewis realize the trauma that can be inflicted on someone, even if you cannot visually see it. Lewis began raising awareness for the troops by standing for the fallen; he put on his dress uniform and went and stood at a memorial with a sign letting people know he was standing for the fallen. This occurred after a Christmas where none of his six children were home. This harkened him back to his days in the Marine Corps in which he was unable to be with his family. Lewis has trained for marathons and even 100 mile races, but as for the daunting prospect of walking 3,300 miles, he had no idea where to begin, so he decided to take a Zumba class with his wife. Lewis pushes a cart that is filled with all of the necessities needed for such a journey, including a tent and solar charger for his iPhone and various flags he has collected, but most importantly, a thermometer showing the amount of money he has raised towards his $50,000 goal. Lewis is hopeful that amount of money is only the halfway point and brought along a second thermometer with the max setting of $100,000. In order to reach that goal he would need to average $30 a mile. Since beginning his journey, Lewis has only encountered good will along his way. Passing through the reservations of Montana he found himself being escorted by groups of Veterans. He even walked with another veteran, Mike Ehredt, who had run across America planting tributes every mile for all of the fallen troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. In one instance a couple thanked them and offered Lewis the last sticker they owned memorializing their son that perished in Iraq, which he proudly displays on the front of his cart. Ehredt was also able to tell that family where he had planted the flag in honor of their fallen son. Lewis has a few stops along the way that he is especially looking forward to. One such stop is a reunion with his wife in Dubuque, Iowa. Lewis says his wife is worried about what grand idea he will think up next with all this free time on his hands. He also hopes to visit a friend from his active duty days that is gravely ill. With a sense of humor unique to Marines, Lewis told his friend he better hold on until he gets there, because he does not want to have to fold his flag alone. Finally he is looking forward to stopping at the Vietnam Veterans museum in Chicago to stand in awe underneath the thousands of dog tags hanging from the museum's ceiling. On his journey, Lewis has raised almost $13,000 for the wounded veterans programs already. For those interested in donating to his cause or to keep tabs on how far he has made it, you can visit his Web site at www.walkingforthefallen.com.