Five months ago veterans Anthony Anderson and Tom Voss set out on an epic trek from their homes in Wisconsin to Los Angeles to raise money for Dryhootch, a non-profit that helps veterans transition back into civilian life, and to increase awareness about the difficulties facing returning servicemen and women. On Saturday their community threw them a welcome home party at the Milwaukee County War Memorial.
Voss told Jesse Ritka of 620 WTMJ, “Neither of us really had any time to decompress after our deployments so the beginning idea was to take the time to work on yourself, better yourself by walking. Anderson and Voss’s beards grew long during the 2,000 mile walk, and blisters came and went, particularly during a footsore stretch in Iowa and Nebraska.
Anderson and Voss were aiming to raise $100,000, and finished $20,000 short of their goal, but are still accepting donations. And they’re still educating people about how everyone can help veterans. Anderson told Ritka, “Don’t watch the stories on the news and say well I’m informed now. Take that information and go out and do something with it. Try to change the lives of your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers because that’s where veterans are.”
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