One Utah

Army Sgt. and Iraq War Veteran Marshall Thompson

The goal is to walk from the Utah/Idaho border to the Utah/Arizona border in 27 days, that’s one day for every 100 soldiers who have died in Iraq. The trip will cover almost 500 miles and I’ll have to average about 20 miles a day.

Walking, in and of itself, is worthless. In the end, it’s just a stunt to raise awareness of a problem and encourage rational people to make a change. I might also shed a few unwanted pounds, but you won’t hear me complaining about that.

I chose to walk Utah in particular for two main reasons. One, it’s my home state and it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. If, for some crazy reason, you’ve got to walk 500 miles, it would be nice to do it in the natural wonder of Utah. And two, Utah is often called “the reddest state in the nation.” It seems to be a stronghold for those who advocate simply staying the course. I hope the walk will soften hearts and open minds to the idea of a responsible and timely withdrawal of troops. Plus I’d like the politicians to realize that even in good old Utah, people are demanding change.

Marshall’s Walking Itinerary:

Everyone is welcome to walk with Marshall where there are sidewalks (in the cities and towns). Keep in mind that the times listed are approximations so please try to arrive early and check the website for any updates or changes. We encourage you to bring signs that promote peace, such as PEACE IN IRAQ, PLAN FOR PEACE, RESPONSIBLE WITHDRAWAL, etc. We will be walking in pairs (single file).

OCT 6th

Farmington
Centerville
Bountiful

8:45—2nd E. Glover’s Lane
10:15 am
11:15 am—Center and Main Street
1:15 pm—1100 N. and Main Street OCT 7th

Salt Lake City

(Sandy)

8:00 am—The Capital Building (300 N. State Street)
9:30 am—2100 S. and State Street
10:15 am—3300 S. and State Street
11:15-12:00—4800 South and State Street (Lunch)
1:30 pm—Fort Union Blvd. and State Street
2:45 pm—9400 South and State Street

OCT 9thLehi
American Fork
Pleasant Grove3:15 pm—1200 E. State Street
4:15 pm—100 W. Main Street
6:00 pm—100 E. State Street

Complete schedule statewide available at:

http://www.asoldierspeace.org/route.htm

And here are some entries into Marshall’s Journal from Monday and Tuesday.

Day 1
October 2, 2006

The walk this morning started with rain. Although the fall wasn’t heavy, I had to put on my nine-dollar yellow rain suit. I looked like a representative of Fishermen for Peace. Despite the dreary weather, my brother-in-law, Jackson, and a former high school teacher, Mr. Jack Greene, walked with me. Two brave souls and their dogs met us in Richmond. They were amateur bee keepers and gave me a button that said, “Give Bees a Chance.”

The weather cleared up by the time we reached Smithfield, but when I got to Logan, my feet were paying the price for wet shoes. They were wrinkled and blistered and I had a strange rash up to my ankles. Not exactly a heartening beginning.

At 2 p.m. I put on a dry pair of shoes and walked to the corner of 1400 North and Main Street. I was amazed to see almost 150 people waiting. Who could have imagined that on a weekday, during work hours with bad weather, this many people would show up?

The walk was quiet and had a certain power because of it. People shared experiences and shook hands as they walked. We stopped by the Eyes Wide Open exhibit of boots and shoes representing those who have died in Iraq. Brenda Chung helped bring it to Logan and I’m glad she did. It’s harrowing, but helpful to have a visual representation of the human cost of the war. We had a moment of silence and then continued walking.

We ran into a pro-war protestor with a homemade sandwich sign. It was a person my wife and I know from church. He’s a really nice guy and he wasn’t yelling or being rude – just doing what he thought was right. He feels we owe something to the Iraqi people for messing up their country. I couldn’t agree more. I just think the best way to do that would be to give them their sovereignty and freedom. Still, I was deeply touched by his civility.

On the south side of Logan, I waved goodbye to the wonderful crowd and headed toward the Jensen Historical Farm. I can’t say how touched I was by all the good people who walked. Today was Gandhi’s birthday. We learned this after we planned the walk, but it’s good to remember. I think he would have been pleased to see so many people walking to support peace.

Day 2
October 3, 2006

After walking about 25 miles yesterday, I was more than a little sore this morning. Doug, a Vietnam-era vet from Oregon, met me in front of the Jensen Historical Farm and we started walking. Doug isn’t the only one who traveled from Oregon for the walk. Don, a World War II vet, came down as well. They both heard the interview on Democracy Now! and decided it was worth the drive.

I invited them both over for dinner. Don, a vibrant 89-year-old with a snow white beard, pulled me close. “We were loyal soldiers. We understand loyalty. But we’re also little Youssarians as well,” he said with a twinkle, referring to the main character of Catch-22 who recognized the insanity of war and was thusly considered to be insane.

Don left last night, so this morning Doug and I continued on into Sardine Canyon. Doug and I had the same job in the military and we had fun comparing notes.

The trees have started to lose their leaves, but the colors that are left were brilliant. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful walk.

Just past Mantua (pronounced man-a-way), a car slowed to a stop. A man rolled down the window and said he wanted to shake my hand. I did so just as I heard the honk of a speeding semi-truck coming our way. The woman driving wisely pulled over into the emergency lane and we spoke for a second. An improvised explosive device hit their son during a convoy in Iraq. They said he was OK, but the right side of his body will never be the same. Their son, now returned home, was driving through the canyon and saw me walking, but didn’t notice in time to stop. They said he called them up and told them to drive up the canyon and shake my hand.

I was honored. It was a reminder of why this walk is so important. Real people are being killed or injured. It doesn’t need to happen anymore. There’s never been a better time to end this war.

This entry was posted Thursday, October 5th, 2006 at 8:40 pm and is filed under Iraq, Peace, This Blog, War. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.