POUGHKEEPSIE – Marist College Associate Professor of English Tommy Zurhellen plans to fly to Portland, Oregon. Then on April 15, begin his 3,000-mile walk across the country until his return to Marist College in Poughkeepsie 133 days later.
Zurhellen, the commander of the VFW post in Poughkeepsie, is on sabbatical from the college.
He plans on stopping along his route to meet with veterans and discuss issues facing many – suicide and homelessness.
“That’s a big part of the project. I’ll be visiting VFW posts all along the way to see how they are changing their communities,” he said.
Zurhellen, 50, will walk 22 miles a day to recognize that 22 veterans take their own lives every day in America.
