Local Video
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| Soldier’s 1,000 mile walk ends |
By: DAVID HENKE, Staff Writer
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Posted: Friday, September 11, 2009 11:22 pm
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NORTHFIELD — On Thursday, Iraqi War veteran Gunnar Swanson came to the end of his 1,000-mile journey.
Ten weeks ago, the former soldier set out on foot from Dallas, Texas, accompanied in an RV by Dina Fesler, a Dennison resident and director of Northfield-based charity War Kids Relief.
His goal: to raise money to build a youth rehabilitation center in Iraq and a vocational training program in Afghanistan by walking across the country.
While serving in 2004 in the 957th Engineering Company in Iraq, Swanson watched as the children of Iraq fell victim to the violence that ravaged their country. Driven to address the problem, the North Dakota native paired with Fesler, who had already started her own, related nonprofit, Children’s Cultural Connection, to create “A Soldier’s March for Peace.”
Together, the pair covered roughly 15 miles a day, stopping frequently to speak to youth at YMCAs, schools, hospitals and youth groups along their route. The
appearances, both hoped, would help them raise enough money to begin the development and construction of rehab center and vocational program.
While Swanson and Fesler only raised roughly $20,000 toward their open-ended goal of $100,000, the pair may have found a different kind of success on the road.
At each of their destinations, Swanson and Fesler spoke about Swanson’s experience in Iraq, then asked the children to write letters to Iraqi children. After they make their last appearance at Cannon Falls on Friday, Fesler and Swanson will have collected more than 2,000 letters, which the two hope to deliver to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a peace-building activity.
The letter-writing, Swanson believes, has raised awareness among American students for the challenges their Iraqi and Afghani counterparts face.
“I really thought the kids took to it, got it, and understood the importance of it,” Swanson said. “They felt really proud to be able to have the opportunity to do something for someone they don’t even know, but they know needs their help.”
Fesler and Swanson will continue to raise funds for the planned rehabilitation center and vocational program. Their cross-country journey also attracted the attention of the United States Embassy in Iraq, which is now working with War Kids Relief to develop a nine-month foreign exchange program for American and Iraqi students, Fesler said.
“The whole experience was really not what we had thought, but it turned out to be light years ahead of what we originally imagined,” Fesler said. “The impact is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
— David Henke covers city, business and youth issues. He can be reached at dhenke@northfieldnews.com or 645-1100. |
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