Presented by Scioto Valley Dumpsters
On April 1st, Col. Kenny Mintz, U.S. Army, Retired began a mission that will take him from Washington D.C. to the Pacific Ocean, in true infantryman fashion… on foot.
He’s trekked roughly 500 miles over the past six weeks and Wednesday, he arrived in Ohio’s First Capital. His plan is to reach his hometown of Encinitas, California by mid-October. The seven month journey has Mintz walking between 15-20 miles per day.
FOLLOW KENNY’S WALK ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM
Litter Media’s Dan Ramey caught up with Mintz just before crossing the Pickaway-Ross County line north of Kingston.
Mintz, an Army battalion commander in Afghanistan, says this is a multi-purpose mission, raising money for charitable causes, but also a “chance to see the country for which I served for 34 years”.
One of the organizations Mintz is raising money for Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. In a recent interview, Mintz said he’s honoring his mother, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer, by making this cross country trip, one the two of them made when she dropped everything and moved from the east coast to California.
The two other organizations have military ties. According to its mission statement, the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund “honors military service and sacrifice by providing scholarships to veterans and military family members, especially to children of our nation’s fallen or disabled.” Mintz carries with him the memory of fourteen fallen service members during his command.
“And I also want to honor my living, honor my comrades and the vets” said Mintz. Operation Resiliency is part of The Independence Fund. “They organize these structured reunions for units who served in combat together. Soldiers or Marines who have that combat relationship that were in a particular time and place and have that common memory, bring them back together so they can support each other.”
Mintz will be spending a few days in Chillicothe where he has family, then resume his walk this weekend. He hopes to reach into Kentucky sometime next week.
For more on the charitable organizations benefiting from Kenny’s cause, click on their names below:
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
More Stories
Chillicothe Utilities Department Announces Marietta Road Project
Appalachia Grant Monies: Oh, Happy Day!
DeWine Announces Transformative $154 Million Investment in Appalachian Downtowns and Destinations