A walk to honor our veterans

Twenty-year veteran Ernie Mariscal wanted to do more to honor those who served in the armed forces. So he began an eight-mile journey from Brawley to Westmorland to support the troops. And soon others wanted to join him in his cause. Mariscal said, “On that first walk I had a lot of people stopping me. And ask me what I was doing. And then I explained. And they’re like whoa can we join you?” Carmen Flores who’s participating in the event for the first time says it’s the least she can do to pay respect to our local veteran. Flores, who’s walking for her brother who’s stationed in the Southeast of the country said, “I’m tired but I’m going to keep going. If they do this you know for months at a time, years at a time out there. What’s a couple of hours for us. It’s nothing.” Flores wants her children to knows the price veterans pay for their freedom. Flores added that, “I’m handing that down to them. They need to appreciate everything they have. Everything we have. We should be grateful.” For some veterans, it’s an opportunity to talk and share the struggles they might be going through. Julio Martin, a veteran and first time joining in the walk to honor veterans said, ” Just the comrade we share. And we can just talk. Veterans are just built differently. They’re just built to understand and serve. It’s just a great thing to have.” Mariscal says he hopes the event continues to grow every year. “It’s an outstanding thing to see the community walk with us and know that we’re not alone out here. And that people do care,” said Mariscal.