Man walks for wounded warriors

link Josh Lydell walks through Tucumcari Monday on his way across the U.S. to raise money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior project.

QCS Managing Editor

Josh Lydell says he isn’t much for walking, but you’d never know from the job he’s given himself.

The Charleston, S.C. stonemason is traveling on foot 2,800 miles from his home town to San Francisco, Calif., to raise funds and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization whose mission is “to honor and empower” wounded military service personnel.

He’s been on this quest since March 4, he said Monday, Day 106 of his trek, as he paused briefly on Tucumcari’s Route 66 after spending a night in the city’s Motel 6.

So far, he said, his journey has raised $7,000 for the project.

He wanted to do something to help, he said, and the walk across the country was the best idea to hit him.

“Since I own my own business,” he said, “I asked the boss for permission to go, and he said ‘yes.’”

He said he was enjoying Monday’s warm, dry weather in eastern New Mexico after the cold, wet weather in which he started his long hike.

The worst part so far, he said, has been trudging up and down the hills of Georgia.

To sum up his fundraising philosophy, he said, “I’m not asking any one person to donate a million dollars, I’m asking a million people to donate $1.”

Lydell served in the Marine Corps from 1998 to 2005, he said.

The Wounded Warrior Project’s website says its mission is to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, help injured service members aid and assist each other and provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

Lydell says he does not want to receive cash donations in person. He would prefer for people to make donations through his page on the Wounded Warrior website at:

https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/individual-fundraising/thewarriorwalk.