Massachusetts veteran walking from east coast to west pays a visit to Lincoln

 

[June 20, 2019] 

LINCOLN 

On Tuesday, William Shuttleworth, a 71-year-old-veteran of the U.S. Air Force, from Newburyport, Massachusetts made a stop in Lincoln. He is on a seven month hike from the east coast to the west. Shuttleworth is walking across America to raise awareness for the issues faced by many veterans today. Along the way he is spending time with veterans and veteran families, talking with local government and doing all that he can to send a specific message that veterans are underserved and uncared for and that needs to change.

Shuttleworth began the day on Tuesday in Clinton. That morning he walked into Lincoln, and on Wednesday he planned to make the trek to Mason City and then on to Havana. Shuttleworth showed a map of his route, and has drawn a straight line across the heart of the country, that led him to Lincoln.

At around noon on Tuesday he arrived at the edge of town and was greeted by Morgan Gleason of the Logan County Tourism Bureau who visited with him a bit and grabbed a snapshot. He was also greeted by local veteran Bill Dennis who served as Shuttleworths guide around the town on Tuesday afternoon.

Lincoln Firefighter Robert Wood, Lincoln Rural Chief Chris Buse, Lincoln Firefighter Todd Koehler and Lincoln Fire chief Bob Dunovsky

On Tuesday evening, Shuttleworth was delivered to the Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District Station where accommodations were provided for an overnight stay. City of Lincoln Fire Department Chief Bob Dunovsky, and fire fighters Todd Koehler and Robert Wood delivered an evening meal and joined Shuttleworth and Lincoln Rural Chief Chris Buse and firefighters on hand for supper.

Shuttleworth spent time talking about his trip thus far, what lies ahead, his day in Lincoln, and of course, why he is doing this.

Stories along the way

To start, he shared interesting stories of people he’s met along the way and the experiences he’s had. On funny experience he talked about happened in Pennsylvania.

To preface, on his journey, Shuttleworth carries all he needs in a single backpack. He is traveling unaccompanied so he’s pretty much on his own. As he passes through communities he experiences much kindness, but on occasion he finds that his night accommodations are to camp out under the stars.

Shuttleworth said he was camping out for the night behind a church somewhere in rural Pennsylvania. At around 2:30 a.m. he heard these horrible sirens going off. He had no idea what it was or what was going on. He jumped up and ran out toward the road where a passing motorist stopped to see what he was doing. He asked and learned that there was a tornado bearing down on the area. He said he had no clue because there are no tornado sirens on the coast of Massachusetts.

Shuttleworth also spoke about some of the people he has met. He recalled in one community meeting a woman who has raised 18 children, some her own and others who were foster kids or adopted by her. Of those 18 children, seven are enlisted and serving their country. He cried and said that every day she prays and prays and prays again that she will not be one of those parents who “gets the call,” that a child has been lost in active duty.

Shuttleworth said that the communities he has visited thus far have been very generous and cordial. He recalled coming across Indiana to a small, small community called Modoc. The entire town consists of one diner and less than 200 people living in the area. Shuttleworth said that as he approached town a fellow in a truck pulled up beside him, asked if he was the veteran, then said he was there to pick him up and take him to lunch. Shuttleworth said when they arrived at the little diner half the town was there to greet him. He had lunch with the community and spent a lot of time learning about the people there and talking about the challenges veterans face when they are released from their terms of service.

The afternoon in Lincoln

On Tuesday in Lincoln, Shuttleworth enjoyed that same kind of hospitality, thanks to Dennis. First Shuttleworth was taken to Christian Village for lunch. Shuttleworth said he very much enjoyed visiting the village and he was able to speak with many, many veterans who reside there.

The tour of the town also included a trip to the Heritage in Flight Museum at the Logan County Airport. As an Air Force Veteran, Shuttleworth very much enjoyed the time he spent there.

Other stops included the Veteran’s Assistance Commission where he met and visited with Dan Benedict, the Lincoln American Legion Post 263, and the Lincoln All Veteran’s Park where he saw all the bricks of our local soldiers.

Shuttleworth said he also had a wonderful time visiting with local World War II Veteran Bill Gossett and wife Jean. He commented that they were remarkable people and he was so happy to spend time with them.

At the end of the day, he was taken to the Lincoln Rural Fire Station, and he was still meeting new people. He shared that the Lincoln/Logan connection had filtered over into Mason County when he met Kaylee Kirby and her mother Julie Mize. Mize’s father is a veteran living in Mason City and she invited Shuttleworth to meet her and her father for lunch on Wednesday.

All along the trip, Shuttleworth has enjoyed the welcoming attitude of the people he meets. He said that he is self-funding the trip across the country, and that the generosity of the communities he visits has had a big impact.

The road ahead

Shuttleworth has a website vetsdontforgetvets.com where he has his route posted. Along with his phone number and email address. He said that one day he got a call from a man in Atwood, Kansas. The man was very concerned for Shuttleworth and offered to take his place in the trek across Kansas. Shuttleworth had asked why and the man had said, “Kansas will kill you! The heat at that time of the year is just unbearable.”

Shuttleworth said the man is not going to take his place, but he did something even more remarkable. This stranger who doesn’t know Shuttleworth at all has made arrangements for Shuttleworth to have housing every night he is in the state. The man has also contacted every sheriff’s department and made arrangements for the officers to track Shttleworth and check on him every hour to make sure he is hydrated and doing okay. Shuttleworth said he finds all that attention very touching and very gratifying.

Why?

So, why would a 71-year-old-veteran decide to spend seven months on foot walking across America? Shuttleworth is a Vietnam era veteran. He was fortunate not to be engaged in Vietnam, but that doesn’t mean he missed the war.

He saw the war raging in the minds and hearts of soldiers as they returned to the states after their tours of duty, and moreover, he worked directly with POW’s after they were released and brought home.

Shuttleworth's duties in the service included serving as a Mental Health Clinician. He has heard things from those soldiers that they have not even told their families. Shuttleworth knows and understands just how broken these young people were after their imprisonment. He understands the battle scars that are within every soldier, POW or not, who fought and killed to protect our freedoms.

Shuttleworth said that these soldiers are like eggs. You can drop an egg on the sidewalk, and maybe pick up the pieces and glue it back together, but the egg is never the same. Shuttleworth said we can take these broken soldiers and glue them back together so they look good on the outside, but on the inside, these people will never be the same.

Veterans today are dealing with suicide, homelessness, and lack of proper medical care, just to name a few. They have little support and struggle to get the assistance they need from the Veteran’s Administration. Getting help includes a myriad of paperwork and red tape, and many of these soldiers don’t have the wherewithal to go through all that just to get the help they need. Funding for programs appears to be lacking, and mental health care for veterans is very hard to find.

Shuttleworth said that he hears these stories and it breaks his heart. He said these are young men and women who signed their name on the bottom line saying “I am willing to give my life,” and yet when they come home, having done their duty, they are left alone to face the challenges.

Shuttleworth said that his desire is to raise awareness for all veterans and to nudge congress into action to do more to protect our veterans. He believes that there should be an audit of the Veteran’s Administration and that there needs to be an overhaul of that department all together.

On his website vetsdontforgetvets.com he lists five action items:

• Elect a vet. At the national, state and local level. Vets don’t forget vets.

• Eliminate veteran homeless by 2030. It can be done if we want it done.

• Free medical care for any veteran who was ever drafted and was discharged with an Honorable Discharge. There are too many veterans that don’t qualify for veteran medical services because they didn’t meet service length obligations.

• Guarantee medical and mental health treatment within 30 days for all veterans

• Increase starting pay for enlistees to a ‘livable wage.’ It is tragic that most enlistees qualify for food stamps.

And, Shuttleworth is also raising money to help veterans. His goal is to raise $100,000 while on this journey. He is self-funding the trip so 100 percent of what he raises will be given to the Disabled American Veterans.

And finally, Shuttleworth wants people to know that one man is making a difference and if one can do a little, then many can do much. He would like to see every person take up this cause, speak out to local, state, and federal politicians and say that the way veterans are treated is not acceptable and it must change now.

Shuttleworth plans to continue on his journey leaving Illinois he will pass through Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and finally California will complete the journey at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

On the website:

Via Shuttleworth's website you can follow his journey, read his block, and track his progress.

https://vetsdontforgetvets.com/ - the mission and goals of the journey. Shuttlesworth's Gofundme link is also on this page.

https://vetsdontforgetvets.com/blog - Shuttleworth writes about his stops and his experiences on the road.

https://vetsdontforgetvets.com/wheres-william%3F  – Follow the map across the country. Shuttleworth notes daily where he is walking.

Followers can also call or email Shuttleworth. His phone number 207-844-0666 and email is vetsdont [e-mail].  He said he gets a lot of calls and he enjoys that. “After all,” he said, “all I’m doing is walking, I have plenty of time to talk!”

Good luck to Willliam Shuttleworth, we all wish you well in the months ahead, and look forward to hearing that you arrived safely at your destination.

[Nila Smith]