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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.
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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:
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Elect a vet. At the national, state and local
level. Vets don’t forget vets.
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Eliminate veteran homeless by 2030. It can be
done if we want it done.
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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
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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 forgetvets@gmail.com.
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] |
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