Two Marine veterans finished a walk that spanned hundreds of miles to honor troops who have died in combat. The journey for Art Medina and Nick Osuna began on July 1st in San Francisco at the Marines' Memorial Club and ended July 29th at the 5th marines Regiment Memorial Garden at Camp Pendleton.
The two men did not serve at the same time in the Marine Corps. They met more than a year ago by chance and started a conversation about their service, which kicked off the effort to plan a walk they called Forward March.
The purpose of the walk was to remember those who had fallen on the battlefield. There is a saying they say that inspired them to carry out this month long trek, “They say a warrior dies twice. Once on the battlefield and once the warrior is forgotten."
Medina and Osuna began the walk with 104 dog tags from fallen service members from wars and conflicts spanning decades. As they made their way from Northern California to Southern California, family and friends of troops killed who made the ultimate sacrifice shared their loved ones dog tags with the two veterans. In the end they reached Camp Pendleton with 162 dog tags.
At the garden the closing ceremony was filled with emotion as people came out to watch Medina and Osuna finish their long mission to bring attention to the sacrifices of military members and their families.
The two Marine veterans raised funds during their walk that will go to support a Marines' Memorial Gold Star family event that honors and provides support for parents of fallen service members.
