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Mac McQuown, who is embarking on a 15,000-mile journey by foot with the purpose of creating awareness around fallen soldiers and the struggles veterans face upon returning home, is shown here walking in the Veteran’s Day Parade on Fifth Avenue this past Fri., Nov. 11th.
Story by Marisol Rodríguez
Photos by Catherine Fonseca
Upon sighting him striding into Washington Heights after crossing the George Washington Bridge, local residents might have pondered what the tall man wearing military fatigues and carrying a large American flag was doing in their neighborhood.
Marine veteran Mac McQuown is on a 15,000-mile journey by foot with the purpose of creating awareness around fallen soldiers and the struggles veterans are facing.
“I think we need to lay out the red carpet for these brave men and women,” said McQuown, who sees a problem with the prominence given celebrity news in the media over the struggles veterans are facing as they come home from war.
“We need to keep our focus on the wounded and those who’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
Part of McQuown’s mission in his cross-country expedition, which brought him from his home in Stafford, Virginia to New York on Sat., Nov. 5th, is to raise funds to support veterans in need of medical and housing assistance, and for the construction of monuments outside of Washington D.C., in the Midwest and on the West Coast in honor of United States veterans.
As McQuown walked in northern Manhattan, he was stopped by many people, including an older Dominican woman who was attracted to his large American flag. She explained that she’d worked in a factory packaging the flags when she was younger.
Bronx native Emily Toro, who currently resides in Richmond Hill, Queens, joined McQuown on his walk from Fort Lee, New Jersey down to Ground Zero, where she presented him with the dog-tags of her son Isaac T. Cortes, an Army officer who was killed in 2007 at age 26, eight weeks after being deployed to Iraq.
Toro and McQuown were introduced by a mutual friend who recognized their shared passion for the military. Little did they know they were already “friends.”
“I knew a Mac McQuown on my [Facebook] page because he was a Marine, and that’s about it. We connected after he called me and that’s when we realized we were on each other’s page,” she explains
As an active supporter of veteran rights, Toro sees a big problem in the poverty faced by many of the men and women who have served in the military. “We have a lot of homeless veterans in the street. It’s a shame they’re out there begging for a place to sleep, for something to eat,” Toro said.
Toro spends much of her time volunteering at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn and is a board member of From the Warfront to the Homefront Foundation Inc, a non-profit that provides support and resources to veterans. They are currently planning a coat drive for homeless veterans in the Bronx.
Jessica Bryan walked alongside McQuown and Toro across the George Washington Bridge. As part of her own efforts to educate youth on the sacrifices of fallen soldiers, Bryan began Step into Their Boots, a company that designs combat boots in honor of specific soldiers who have died during their military service.
McQuown is wearing a pair in honor of Isaac T. Cortes. The boots are decorated with symbols and phrases that represent him, such as the Puerto Rican flag to symbolize his heritage and one of Cortes’ favorite sayings, “Go Big or Go Home.”
As he travels from city to city, McQuown said he has found support and hospitality in local fire departments. While in New York, he stayed at the firehouse of Engine 69 -Ladder 28 at 248 West 143rd Street. Overall, New Yorkers have left a positive impression on the marine. “Everywhere I’ve been in New York, people have been incredibly kind,” he said. “The hospitality of the people that I’ve bumped into so far has been remarkable.”
As Mac begins his journey to his next destination, Florida, he looks forward to his final stop at Arlington Cemetery, where he will return Cortes’ dog-tags to his mother Toro.
“I commend Mac for what he’s doing. I love him dearly and I support him 100 percent,” said Toro.
For more information on Mac McQuown and his walk in support of veterans’ rights, please visit operationwalkusa.webs.com.
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