A U.S. veteran is passing through the Fredericksburg area Wednesday on a 350-mile walk to Arlington Cemetery to raise awareness for PTSD and veteran suicide.
Brandon Powell is participating in Walk for Wounded, a nonprofit based in Leesburg. Its goal is “to challenge, motivate and empower physically and mentally wounded military veterans,” according to its website, thewoundedwalk.com. It also advocates for the advancement of post-combat treatment for wounded veterans.
Powell left from Camp Lejeune, N.C., on April 14, and has already walked through Caroline County. Wednesday afternoon, he’s expected to walk from Spotsylvania County to its border with Fredericksburg, where he’ll be met by military veterans in the city’s police force. They’ll escort him to Eagle Village, where he’ll get a free meal at Home Team Grill and free night at the Hyatt Place Fredericksburg–Mary Washington, said Sarah Kirkpatrick, police department spokeswoman.
Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw will wish him farewell at 7 a.m. Thursday as he heads to Quantico.
Adam Shatarsky and Chris Senopole came up with the idea for what would become The Wounded Walk while discussing what they’d do after their enlistment with the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines. They decided to walk 2,700 miles from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to D.C. to raise awareness for wounded veterans.
The walk, which Shatarsky finished, inspired others. He and Senopole went on to found The Wounded Walk as a nonprofit in 2013.
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