Veteran Visits Cartersville on 15,000-Mile Walk

U.S. Army Reservist and U.S. Marine Corp. veteran Mac McQuown's 15,000-plus mile journey to bring awareness to veterans, prisoners of war and those missing in action brought him through Cartersville on Wednesday.

His mission—to walk to the capital steps of all 50 states—has taken McQuown to Washington D.C.; Annapolis, MD; Trenton, N.J.; Richmond, VA; Raleigh, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Tallahassee, FL; and Atlanta, according to his blog. He started Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks on the U.S., from his home in Stafford, VA.

He hopes to "bring an overdue and well-deserved light upon all veterans, young and old, male and female, from both past and current conflicts to also keep in our prayers and bring awareness to all veterans whom ever have been or currently are a P.O.W. and/or MIA," according to his website.

McQuown walked into Cartersville on Highway 41, with a fire and police escort and carrying a large flag, then visited Cartersville Fire Department's Station 4, The Daily Tribune News reports.

Cartersville Patch user Mandi Holmes Marisko captured and shared a photograph, at right, of McQuown walking north on 41 near MLK Jr. Drive in Cartersville.

"When 9/11 happened, I noticed that our veterans were coming home and we had forgotten about them....That didn’t sit very well with me. And that seems to happen with every conflict—Vietnam, Korea, all of them," McQuown told the newspaper. "So I wanted to do something to bring awareness back to the veterans."

Follow his journey via McQuown's Facebook page.

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