Walk for Pat Winds it Way Through Chattanooga

Rory Fanning is spending four months on the road, walking to raise awareness and funds for the Pat Tillman Foundation. After starting in mid-September in Norfolk Beach, he made his was south and has spent the past two days in and around Chattanooga. I had a chance to speak with him tonight about his journey.

Rory became friends with Pat Tillman in Army Ranger training school and was impressed not only with his personal sacrifice, but also with the “intelligent and compassionate side” of Pat that he says most people aren’t aware of. Rory went on to describe Pat as “such a good human being” and an example of the type of leader our country needs. He’s walking not only to raise funds for the Tillman Foundation, which works to develop young leaders, but also to keep Pat’s memory alive and remind people of his example.

Despite warnings from loved ones about the dangers of traveling alone, Rory has an unwavering optimism about the people of America:

“99% of people are generous and are inspired to do good. They’re inspired by Pat’s story… We listen to the news too much and start to think that’s who we are.”

In particular, he said the people of Chattanooga have been “absolutely amazing” and have welcomed him with open arms and great conversations. He’s camping out tonight in front of the WDEF studios in hopes of landing an interview tomorrow morning before he begins the next leg of his journey. His planned route will take him by Rock City and Ruby Falls on his way to Huntsville and then Memphis.

You can follow along by reading Rory’s blog or visiting his GPS tracking website.