LAWTON Okla_ Two men are
walking across the country, nearly 3,000 miles, to help raise awareness and
money for fellow marines injured in combat.
Two days ago,
former marines Chris Senopole and Adam Shatarsky made their way into Lawton and are resting up in a local hotel before
continuing their walk across America
Thursday. Their journey started in early June at Camp Pendleton, California.
Since then, the two have walked nearly 1,000 miles, documenting it via Facebook
and Twitter. By October, the two friends hope to reach their destination: a Marine
Corps base in Virginia.
Chris Senopole said
he and Shatarsky served four years in the Marine Corps together and became
close friends. He said the two came up with "The Wounded Walk"
project to help supplement funds raised through the Wounded Warrior Project. He
said many times, added help is needed for injured marines that may struggle to
get the medical attention they need, due to lack of money.
One step at a
time, these two men are journeying across America, in hopes of helping their fellow
marines.
"They've
fought, and they've lost some things that we take for granted everyday literally,"
Senopole said. "They've lost hands and feet, you never know what that's like. Can
you imagine what it's losing your hand one day and it not being there? How are you
going to open a door?"
Less than half
way into the journey, Chris Senopole said he and his friend Adam Shatarsky didn't
get off to an easy start.
"We didn't
have the right equipment we needed," Senopole said. "We had too much equipment.
We ended up dropping off ridiculous amounts of gear, because we didn't need it.
We finally figured out our shoe situation. I was melting shoes in the desert,
literally melting shoes."
Senopole even
documented it here with a picture on the Wounded Walk Facebook. Throughout
their journey, they've snapped pictures all along the way of people they've met
and of the road that lies ahead.
Even though
it's just the two lonely friends, Senopole said they've managed to find more.
"We put
the link up every few days," Senopole said. "People follow the link, and you
can see exactly where we are at with satellite imaging. Every ten minutes, it
pings."
He said any
support is appreciated even in the form of a honk or "hello."
"If you
see two guys on the side on the road, I'm 90% sure it's us, unless there are a
couple more crazy guys out there," Senopole said.
Senopole said several people have stopped to help drive their packs
alongside of them. So far, they've raised nearly $20,000.
If you would like to make a donation, you can visit the website at www.gofundme.com
or find all of their web links on "The Wounded Walk" facebook page.
