Veteran marches for 40 hours to raise money for Ukraine

(NewsNation) — Air Force veteran Mark Lindquist has been in Ukraine since last year, to help those affected by the Russian invasion that started on Feb. 24, 2022.

Now, though, Lindquist has come back to the U.S., and is marching for 40 hours straight, in below-freezing temperatures, to bring money for Ukraine and bring awareness to what soldiers overseas are going through.

“The people of America — they want to help people in Ukraine. Maybe they see what’s going on over there. But they don’t have the knowledge of what is needed over there,” Lindquist said on “Morning in America.” “So I, as an American veteran, having been operating over there for the past year, have been connecting Americans to the needs in Ukraine, and people have really responded.”

Valley News Live reports that Lindquist has been working to bring supplies over to Ukraine. Some of his friends there are running a marathon for 40 hours to raise support, which inspired Lindquist to march for 40 hours in his home of Fargo, North Dakota, according to the news outlet. He started the walk at 5 a.m. Sunday, collecting donations along the way for a veteran rehabilitation center in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, KFGO reports.

“We want to bring an opportunity for those veterans to come and heal and work through their trauma,” Lindquist said. “I’m working with psychologists in Ukraine to be able to ensure that people can reintegrate into society.”

When Lindquist first started his hike, it was 20 degrees below zero. Still, he didn’t wear a face covering, gloves or a hat, to simulate for Americans what soldiers deal with in Ukraine. Volunteers in Ukraine will often go up to these soldiers and ask them what they need — which is also what’s been happening to Lindquist in America.

“I simulated that for my fellow friends in Fargo,” Lindquist said.

To learn more about Lindquist’s mission, you can go on his website.