Harlan Kirgan
Eli Smith, a 36-year-old Army veteran, estimates he will walk about three and half years to each corner of the United States to raise awareness for post traumatic stress disorder.
On Thursday, Smith was in the Eunice City Hall where he spoke about his journey that begin Nov. 22 at Fort Pickens in Pensacola, Florida.
“I’m tired of my friends killing themselves,” he said of his concern for PTSD, which is a mental problem some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault, according to the National Center of PTSD of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Every day 22 suicides occur among veterans or active duty personnel, Smith said.
Smith, of Columbus, Ohio, said he served from 2000 to 2002 with the Army in South Korea as a tank gunner.
“I blew stuff up with tanks. It is more fun that you can even imagine. It is the best job I ever had,” he said.
While in the military he says he didn’t encounter PTSD, but over time the cause overtook him.
“People really don’t want to talk about,” he said.
“Over time I wanted to do something,” he said.
One day the pieces fell together and he ended up selling his pickup truck and giving away “everything. Toaster. Soup spoons. Dish rags.”
Now he walks 20 to 30 miles a day with a 65-pound pack. He says he’ll walk to San Diego, north Washington State, east to Maine and eventually to Key West.
Smith would like to do a book with the proceeds going to charity about his journey.
Blisters are among his main concerns now. He’s estimating the walk will take 15 to 20 pairs of shoes.
He admits to a few scary encounters, but that’s among about a thousand people he has met.
“The South has been very welcoming and beyond my expectations,” he said.
To follow Smith go to facebook.com/4cornershike and watch the hike at youtube.com/4cornershike.