When U.S. Marine Corps. Sergeant Brendan O'Toole completed his active duty in June 2012, he knew he wanted to do more to support his country. After returning to his hometown of Alexandria, Va., he soon realized the best way to do that was to support his fellow veterans who had given so much to their country.

To do that, O'Toole decided to run. Far.

On Veterans Day 2012, O'Toole launched Run for Veterans in Oceanside, Calif. The cross-country run has the goal of raising awareness of the challenges faced by veterans while raising money for the USO, Give an Hour and Team Red White and Blue.

During his journey, O'Toole will run 3,600 miles through 21 states and Washington, D.C. before finishing in Portland, Maine later this year. He is currently 1,900 miles into his journey and is in Alabama this week. He will make stops in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. 

"I hope this run will result in positive changes in communities throughout America by bridging the gap between veterans and citizens at the local level," O'Toole said, calling on people to support veterans within their own areas.

O'Toole said the run involves a team of supporters who have assisted him along his journey.

"Fortunately for me, that's how the Marine Corps was," O'Toole said. "Always a team effort. The team effort, though, is not only coming from those of us on the road. We have supporters watching the weather for us, people coming out and cheering for us on the route, and people telling us their experiences and learning about the organizations we're supporting. We take the time to have lunch with people, throw a football around, and exchange stories. Our supporters are the reason why we're on the road."

O'Toole is being accompanied on his run by Joey Dwyer, whose JWD Productions is making a documentary of the run.

O'Toole, who served in the Marine Corps from 2008-2012, including deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, said when he returned home he discovered many veterans such as himself struggled with health problems, family issues, job concerns, and trouble integrating back into their lives.

"The majority of veterans right now are not OK," O'Toole said. "I spent four months in combat zones, and I myself have had problems with my temper and keeping my anger under control. The run is part of how I keep myself calm and move forward." 
 

To see O'Toole's current location, visit www.therunforveterans.org/route. Find more information on the run at www.therunforveterans.org

See the full article and video: http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/retired_marines_run_across_the.html#incart_river_default