World War II veteran Ernie Andrus may be 90-years-old, but he has at least one more big mission: He plans to run across the United States and remind Americans about that pivotal period in U.S. history.
Mr. Andrus started his trek on October 7, 2013 in San Diego and has already made his way into Arizona. His hope is to reach the Atlantic Ocean by the time he reaches age 94, Yahoo News reported Wednesday.
CBS News featured the Navy veteran during one of its broadcasts in June, at which he point he said his goal was to “to let people know what the whole war was all about and what it took to win it.” However, he also plans to let individuals know about the Landing Ship Tank (LST), which allies used to get heavy equipment onto beaches.
His Facebook page states:
• “This feat is being undertaken to raise money for the LST 325 SHIP MEMORIAL, INC. I was one of the crew that brought the LST 325 back from the Isle of Crete, Greece to the US in 2000, 2001 as aired on the history channel as The Return of LST 325. One thousand fifty one LSTs were built during World War II. The 325 is the only one left that has been restored and is still operational. Plans were being made to return the ship to Normandy for the D day memorial service (D day plus 70, 2014) and beach it at the same location where it was on Omaha beach 70 years before. The cost of taking this ship across the Atlantic and back is tremendous. Shortage of finances caused the 2014 trip to be canceled. Perhaps we can raise enough money for D Day plus 75 in 2019.”
The Navy veteran runs three times a week, covering roughly five miles each time. At the end of each run he hitchhikes back to his camper, drives to the location of his last run, and then waits until his body has recovered. Then he begins again, Yahoo News reported Wednesday.
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If all goes according to plan, Mr. Andrus will end his run Brunswick, Georgia.
He updates his Facebook page with progress of his journey and shares photos of the people he meets along the way.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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