Well, it’s been quite a while since you’ve heard from Gunnar and the ASM4P team. Sorry about that! The end of A Soldier’s March for Peace has turned out to be a busy time for me as I get the new War Kids Relief programs off the ground while Gunnar takes some well-deserved time to decompress, adjust back to normal life, and do some serious thinking and planning about what the future holds for him.

While he does that, I can’t wait to tell you about the new programs that are getting underway thanks to Gunnar’s 1,000-mile walk! The pilot phase of a new US/Afghan Junior Investor Program is getting more exciting by the minute. Kids in American middle and high schools are already developing fund-raising activities so each class that’s involved can invest $100 in the vocational training of youth in Afghanistan — and in the process they’ll learn a lot about the lives of their Afghan peers, and vice versa.

New steps are also being taken in the US/Iraq Young Ambassador Program. 75 American and 75 Iraqi high school students will be paired for letter-writing, videoconferencing, and a lot more over the course of six months. We’ll build a curriculum as we go, and we hope that within a year or two the Young Ambassador Program will be taking place in schools all over America.

We received a grant to fund the first ten youth camps for military kids so they can learn more about the lives of children in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a group of Carleton College students have produced a book called Dear Friend: letters of peace and friendship, featuring letters written by the Cannon Falls students on the last day of ASM4P when we made our final presentation at Cannon Falls High School.

There are so many exciting things going on, and you can learn much more — and I hope you will! — at warkidsrelief.org.

So, the walking portion of A Soldier’s March For Peace may be over, but the “march” lives on as we continue to make a difference in the lives of kids. Your support and enthusiasm have meant so much. Please continue to follow and support War Kids Relief. Thanks to all of you…and thank you, Gunnar!!!

Sincerely,

Dina
Children’s Culture Connection; Executive Director

Here is the news coverage from Kare 11 News! But there is no video or news coverage that could have truly shown the magic of that event! Thank you Cannon Falls schools!!!! More to come!

All the festivities of my homecoming for ASM4P have been an absolute thrill! I have lots of stories, video, media coverage, and pictures to share with you very soon. I promise to get on it as soon as possible. Just let me catch my breath real quick and get a moment to myself so I can write, organize, grab some links, etc. Can’t wait to share it with all of you!!! This has been a historic event!!!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to War Kids Relief along ASM4P!!!!!!!

Talk soon!

- Gunnar

Just another road heading north.

Here’s something strange: I’ve walked 985 miles, and it wasn’t until my 965^th mile or so that I started developing blisters. How in the world does that make sense? Yesterday, I’m walking along a backcountry road going north towards Owatonna, MN when I start to feel a stinging sensation on my left little toe. A couple miles later, I start feeling it on my right heel, then my big toe on my right foot.

“What the heck is going on?!?”

Veterans Memorial, Knoxville, Iowa

By the time I was done walking yesterday, I was limping a little. I just can’t believe I have felt pretty much 100% until now. Crazy! I walked 15 miles today, but not before adding a couple layers of Moleskin to strategic areas of my feet. If you have ever had to break-in combat boots, you probably know all about Moleskin. Tomorrow I will use up the remaining pieces of Moleskin that I have left before making my final walk into Northfield, MN.

Tomorrow I will be meeting a bunch of people (hopefully lots of kids too) who will be walking the final mile with me as I make it into Bridge Square in downtown Northfield by around 6pm. I’m really excited to see all the familiar friendly faces. Please come be a part of the final days of ASM4P.

I'm not a big bug person, but a praying mantis is always cool to see.

I had to take a picture of this as we passed in our RV!

Like I need to be reminded.

Outside Owatonna airport.

TV interview in Des Moines

What's this? A place for pedestrians to walk across an overpass? I don't trust it. Better stick to walking in traffic.

Just another lonely road to walk along.

While my walking portion will be complete tomorrow, ASM4P will not be officially complete until September 11^th. On this historically important day, I will meet with our last group of kids in Cannon Falls, MN (I’ll be driving there!). After that session, ASM4P will be complete.

I will write more in the coming days, but don’t want to celebrate or reflect too much until the job is finished. Only Thursday and Friday left!

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I officially have less then 100 miles to walk in A Soldier’s March for Peace! Can you believe it? ….I CAN!!! I’m tired!

In 6 days, I will complete A Soldier’s March for Peace. If you ever thought about donating to our cause, now is the TIME! Please help me help the children of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the kids here at home who have parents serving in these countries. 

Here is a radio interview Dina and I did in Knoxville, IA earlier this week. Please take a few minutes to listen to it. Radio Interview

Today I got to talk to a lot of people who knew just a little about ASM4P. I explained to them that this is a fundraiser for War Kids Relief, but perhaps even more importantly, it is a chance for me to meet with thousands of kids here in the US and introduce them to their peers in Iraq by reading letters from Iraqi kids. 

Today I talked with one man who asked something that was to me particularly disturbing and disheartening. I was talking in depth about War Kids Relief initiatives and our programs developed to help kids in Iraq and Afghanistan get out of insurgent groups. I can’t quote the man exactly, but to one degree or another he asked if it was worth the struggle to help those children if they have been raised in a society where extremist views and militias are revered. I tried my best to keep my blood from boiling, but I’m sure he picked up on my resentment of his question.

First of all, we are not talking about adults. We are talking about kids. We are not just talking about young adults either; we are talking about kids as young as 5 or 6! In every case, the child is innocent. If they have joined an extremist militia, it is because they have been coerced, lied to, manipulated, forced, or threatened to do so. Do we consider a child here in the US a lost cause if they have been misguided, coerced, recruited, or forced into gang activity? NO! To help them we create youth centers and safe houses, we provide counseling, and we even have a juvenile court systems that focus on recovery and rehabilitation rather then just punishment. Do these kids in Iraq or Afghanistan deserve our backs just when they are in need of our help the most?

The truth is, the VAST majority of people in Iraq and Afghanistan simply want to lead a life of peace and provide their families with a safe and happy home. All you have to do is read some of the letters we have from some of the kids in Iraq. Some of them have a constant fear of being killed or seeing death. Some worry about being kidnapped or bombs going off as they walk to school. But one thing they all seem to share is the universal hope for peace. To say these kids are a lost cause, to say we might as well drop bombs indiscriminately and be done with it, is like saying we should do the same to one of our own cities here in the US where gang activity is a problem.

These kids are not a lost cause! War Kids Relief projects are well researched and are developed to specifically target the disengaged youth of Iraq and Afghanistan, to get kids out of the hands of insurgent groups, and to provide them with the skills they need to become productive members of their community.

I’m not doing this walk for my health. I’m not getting paid by anyone for starting ASM4P. And as funny as my pictures and videos may be, I promise I’m not taking a single step for fun. I’m doing this march because I want people to see the desperate situation these kids are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how their situation will affect us TOMORROW if we don’t do something to help them TODAY. If we don’t help these kids, if we don’t help them get out of insurgent groups and give them the tools they need to live productive, peaceful lives, it will be the future generation of Americans that will have to deal with the consequences. It will be our children who have to fight in a war as I have…but we have the potential to stop it now. I care about children, whether they are here in the US, or in some war-torn country like Iraq or Afghanistan. I will not stop doing my best to inspire kids and adults to help me help these kids who are facing challenges most of us can barely imagine.

As you can tell, 8 straight weeks of walking has made me a little nuts. Enjoy the video.

- Gunnar

Slacker.

Hi, Dina here:

Gunnar is apparently too tired to write his blog so I thought I’d just finish up. Between walking 15+ miles every day, and working on his latest video I guess he is just too pooped to do much else today.

We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Stay tuned…

Dina