Last night after a long walk at dusk along the Lake Erie shoreline gathering my thoughts and taking in the skyline of a city lit up magnificently for the start of football season as I pulled out of Lakewood Park and drove down Route 2, I glanced to my left and was surprised by the sight I saw.
Two veterans, Michael Lathea, a former infantryman from Oak Harbor Ohio and Garret Seaman a Calvary scout from Montalva were walking to their final destination, the WWII memorial in downtown Cleveland.
What caught my a eye was they fact these two weren't on a bike or out for a jog. They were dressed in full military fatigues, wearing boots while carrying a backpack that weighed 45 pounds. One, Garret Seaman also carried the American flag with him, while his partner Michel Leathea carried the Gideon flag that honored service.
Intrigued, I did what many others also had done along their journey and stopped to pay tribute to them for their service to our country.
Seeing the two made me think about many of my family members who have served with honor, especially two, my Uncle Gene and cousin George both whom I spent time with over Memorial Day weekend in Maryland, not far from our nations capital and just miles away from the Naval Academy.
It made me think about an old friend of mine I used to work with Bob DeLambo, who I hadn't seen in a long time but remembered my birthday, and took me out to dinner the other night and all the stories that he told me when we were working about his time in the Army and why he became an officer.
It also made me think of something John F. Kennedy said;
“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”
The two were battle hardened and have seen brothers fall on the field of battle and they served with valor. They did this not for themselves but for our country. The two earned combat badges while serving in Iraq, but more important to them was the American flag patch they wore on the sleeves of their fatigues with pride.
“I am proud of what America is and what it stands for,” Seaman said. “I get emotional when I see the American flag and troops coming home, even the fourth of July.”
But there was more to the March, which they called the Ruck for Warriors, then just their pride for country.
As General George C Marshall once said, “There is no limit to the good you can do, if you don't care who gets the credit.” and both these men weren't looking for attention to themselves.
Curious why two men would walk nearly 100 miles from Oak Harbor to downtown Cleveland, I asked Seaman and he gladly obliged to tell me, saying it took on a special meaning to him, to bring awareness to Military suicides. Seamann wasn't afriad to give his reasoning either, as the 23 year old attempted suicide when he was stateside.
“I personally attempted to commit suicide and was saved by the grace of god,”Seaman said. “What we want to make everyone aware is that even the most squared away soldier could have problems and we want to prevent funerals. Hopefully my testimony can help make sure others get the help they need.”
Seaman, who met Lathea at the VA, while promoting his cause, also made sure to talk about the support the VA has offered him since he has been home, saying it has been wonderful. One thing he is particulary pleased with is the fact there are some great support groups, which he feels are very beneficial to veterans, since they are soldier on soldier and not civilians working with the veterans.
He was also proud to talk about the fact that because he served his country, through the VA he is able to utilize the GI Bill and is now enrolled at the University of Toledo, which is part of the Principals of Excellence, an Executive Order that was signed by President Obama on April 27, of 2012.
Not a very emotional person Seaman as others stopped along the route to talk to the two or yelled from rolled down windows, was nearly brought to tears by the outpouring of support they had garnered along the way. One honor, included a gift of a hotel room at the Hilton on Thursday night, a far cry from their first night on the trek when the two slept in a corn field after enduring a drenching rainstorm.
“We prayed that it would be something magnificent and its turned out to be one of the most amazing journeys of my life, its been over 100 miles and the people have just bent over backwards.” Seaman said.
One man asked what they were doing said he was proud of them and called back later and told them the manager of the Hilton would give them a room with two beds.
“We were expecting to rough it the entire time, and we did sleep in a corn field,” Seaman said. “but people the past couple of days have been so supportive of our cause and they whole-hardheartedly support the military and our troops and its fantastic to see.”
For more information on the two veterans journey and their cause, you can go to Ruck for Warriors on FACEBOOK.