Walking for Fallen vet gets warm welcome

BONNERS FERRY — People honked their car horns and waved as Sgt. Chuck Lewis pushed his flag-decorated cart through Boundary County on Friday and Saturday.

Some stopped to thank him and tell him their stories.

Lewis, a US Marine Corps and US Navy Reserve veteran, is walking for the fallen. He is walking 3,300 miles across the United States to raise awareness and money for wounded and disabled veteran programs and to remind people of the cost of freedom.

“It is something I felt I needed to do,” said Lewis. “Going for a walk seemed like the natural thing to do.”

“Walking for the Fallen-USA” will be a six-month journey for Lewis which will end in Washington D.C. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In his flag-decorated cart, he has all the gear he needs, including a solar panel to power his iPhone, which is interfaced with a SPOT global positioning system that enables his supporters to track his progress at www.walkingforthefallen.com.

Twenty days after he started in Everett, Wash., Lewis walked through Bonners Ferry. Lewis said Bonners Ferry has been one of the friendliest towns he has walked through. Lewis planned on attending the CommUNITY breakfast Saturday morning.

“It is nice to be back here,” said Lewis, who use to live on Brown Creek Road.

Lewis, 62, lives in Ronan, Mont., where he belongs to the VFW Post 5652.

He also belongs to the American Legion Post 106 in St. Ignatius, Montana, the Veteran’s Honor Guard in Polson, Mont., and the Mission Valley Honor Guard in St. Ignatius.

By the end of his walk, Lewis hopes to raise more than $50,000 for wounded and disabled Veteran programs. A thermometer graphic on the side of his cart keeps track of donations. To donate or for more information, visit www.walkingforthefallen.com.