As you know I have been following The
Long Trail Home and trying to help promote them so that Matt Littrell
will have a successful mission of raising money for the Semper Fi
Fund. I am completely impressed with Matt. He started this crazy
journey on a wing and a prayer when he left from just south of Camp
LeJeune, NC in the spring. He did not have a publicist, an
established schedule and I do not believe he even had much food. He
did have a good friend, a facebook page, a horse and a destination,
Camp Pendleton, CA.
Initially, I thought Matt was following
a dream and I questioned how he expected to have success. I even
wondered if in fact he would be able to accomplish the mission that
he had assigned to himself. Sure, he was a Marine but I live in
Georgia and it gets really hot. He planned on camping but I am
afraid of the bear in my backyard and that is not even mentioning the
mosquitoes, nor the poisonous snakes.
Matt has been a great sport about his
long trail home. Actually, he did complain about the mosquitoes but
he wasn't in Georgia when that happened, he was a little farther
west. Even then he made mention that it was bothersome to the horses
and he was concerned about their well being and comfort. Matt is a
gentleman. He knows that his horse is his means of transportation
and prioritizes the animals.
As I have sat back and watched the news
from the safety of my home I have wondered why the media didn't
recognize this Marine at every corner he passed. Why were people not
noticing that this gentleman had a mission? It finally occurred to
me that there is a strong possibility that others in this country may
be more afraid of that bear in my backyard than I. Matt was out
there with it! He also served over there where we are okay with our
children not knowing about. Using the bear as a metaphor, we never
want any child to be out in the backyard with the bear but Matt
didn't care.
When Matt got home after his two tours
in Iraq he knew that rejoining society would not be easy and he soon
realized that others needed help too. Rather than waiting for the
government to take action he decided to do something. Once again,
Matt wasn't fearful of that stupid bear. After all, he had been part
of the few, the proud, the Marines.
I would like to challenge you today.
You already have the only tool you need, yourself.
I challenge you to share Matt's story
with everybody you know. It doesn't matter if you like the person or
not, share his story. Our wounded service members and their families
need everybody to help. It's your turn to take on the bear!
Please donate to the Semper Fi Fund
and challenge others to take on the bear.
You can follow The Long Trail Home on facebook through the link below.
Kara -
ReplyDeleteFantastic blog! Thank you so much for your thoughtful words of support for the Long Trail Home. We are very grateful to Matt for taking on this mission to raise awareness and funds for the Semper Fi Fund and equally grateful to his wonderful supporters like you.
Warmly,
Vanessa Keane
Semper Fi Fund Event Manager
Thank you, Vanessa. I am glad I have been able to support Matt and The Long Trail Home team in their efforts with a few social media posts. His choosing to work with the Semper Fi Fund has made it easy. http://semperfifund.org/about/
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