The REASON for this Winning Woman's TroopWalk 2009 (edited)

Image by Army.mil via Flickr

From Ruth -

Hello to those of you following this TroopWalk 2009 journey!

I appreciate your interest in this event and so do our military service members, veterans, and their families. We are receiving so many emails every day now that I am overwhelmed with appreciation early on in this event, but that volume of correspondence makes it difficult to answer each and every person who contacts me/us to directly.

I appreciate each and every one of you – more than you know – so please keep those emails and text messages coming! You keep me upright, focused, and your support helps me keep moving those tired, achy feet forward on the path to completing a much-needed mission!

There is something I would like our followers to understand:

This TroopWalk 2009 event is about the Founder and President of Inspiring Alliance Military Support Network, a nonprofit service organization that provides transitional support to our military audience, setting aside 5 months or more of her life to make a statement about the unmet needs of our service members, our veterans, and those unsung heroes who support them — the spouses and children who are also affected by sacrifices made by every member of our Armed Forces!

Although my sacrifices seem small in comparison to those made by our soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors, we think it is important for people to understand I am a single woman who has given up my income, my home, my vehicle, my social life (contact with church, family, and friends), and I have set aside my for-profit business in order to be able to invest however many months are necessary to travel from Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the Naval Medical Center San Diego to make a statement on behalf of those individuals Inspiring Alliance serves.

I have listened to countless stories about the challenges our service members face – everything from not being able to find a job when an individual shifts from military service to civilian life to stories of loss of homes, forced bankruptcies and even extended waits of up to 18 months for some of our wounded warriors to receive their first disability check after they have applied for government support. We all recognize the system is flawed, but I wonder how many people think about how issues like this affect the very core of our country.

Stop for a moment to recognize that every service member puts his or her life on hold — in much the same way I have (except that they get paid a wage during their military tenure and I have no income source except for donations and gifts of food or lodging during the tour). In addition, entire families – not just a spouse and children, but extended families – are also affected during that time our nation’s heroes are protecting our freedoms!

Let’s come together, America, and show our support for all these brave men and women do on our behalf. Let’s show them how much we appreciate them as you join me on the sidewalks of VA, WV, OH, IN, IL, MO, KS, CO, UT, NV, and CA to share your understanding of the true price that is paid for Freedom! We love and appreciate all our service members, veterans, and their families do for us — let’s get up out of that chair and off that sofa and PROVE IT!

God bless you all, and God bless our Armed Forces!

Click on map below to see where Ruth is at, and don't forget to donate to the cause at;

http://www.troopwalk.com