(NewsNation) — Noah Coughlan will soon make history as the fifth person ever to cross America on foot a total of four times. His journey — “Run For Revival” — spans 3,600 miles across 13 states from Washington to Florida.
His mission: To honor those who served our nation.
Along his journey, Coughlan meets with veterans to thank them for their service and find out what the American flag means to them.
Coughlan’s solo tribute to American soldiers lasts 167 days, starting on Memorial Day in Seattle, and will end in Miami on Veterans Day. This year’s run is his fourth run across the U.S., following previous runs in 2011, 2013 and 2015. His previous runs were to raise awareness for 30 million Americans fighting rare diseases, which many of whom were military families.
“It became very, very prominent and very obvious that the American veterans are the ones who are holding this country together,” Coughlan said.
He continued, “Not only do they serve and sacrifice and go off to war in combat, but they also come home and serve in a different capacity as firefighters, police officers, teachers and pilots. I’ve been telling everybody, they literally hold America together.”
Coughlan had made it to Boca Raton, Florida, by day 164, just three days before his journey’s completion. He explained that he chose those two holidays to emphasize their importance of honoring the nation’s heroes.
In between, he meets with thousands of veterans in big and small cities across America. He said it’s his way of bringing America together.
Coughlan said he holds the utmost respect for World War II veterans, explaining that they represent what the American flag symbolizes: freedom, liberty, opportunity and hope.
“It’s just a true honor to be able to have the Stars and Stripes fly above me every day. And I’m very grateful for these four runs. And all I can say is God bless America. We live in a great country and American people are truly special people,” Coughlan said.