The Walk a Mile in a Soldier’s Shoes event on March 21 brought students, veterans and community members together for a march that highlighted the physical and mental demands of military service.
“Essentially, it is a ruck march, where [Kappa Sigma] brothers, community members, family members and veterans will walk with 45-pound military-worn, combat-worn rucksacks, in solidarity with the conditions faced by our soldiers in the line of duty,” said Kayin McDonald, a co-founder for the In a Soldier’s Shoes Foundation.
Participants who took part in the march were able to walk a one-mile loop around Bowling Green State University’s (BGSU) campus.
“It’s structured to be three hours long, with the hope that brothers can get to 12 miles in three hours, which is army standard. It’s a one-mile loop, so there are refreshments. It allows individuals to take rests and breaks in between their miles,” McDonald said.
McDonald said he does not have many family members who are veterans, but he has an appreciation for them.
“For me and my upbringing, I just found a really deep appreciation for the country I live in, for the freedoms, for the liberties that I am privileged to have. For that reason, I want to give back the best way that I can to that community that has sacrificed so much to allow me to have those freedoms and liberties,” McDonald said.
The march has taken place at Ashland University for 12 years, but this is the first time the event has been brought to other college campuses.
“This is our first year expanding into different universities, because we got our 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit. So our mission is to bring this onto more chapters and more states,” McDonald said.
The foundation partnered with Kappa Sigma because one of their own founded it.
“They have used our network through Kappa Sigma to help expand their foundation and set up these ruck marches. So this is the second university today that will be partaking in this event,” said Trevor Pollock, a member of BGSU’s Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Pollock said he was marching with his brothers and hoping to get his 12 miles in.
“This event and getting prepared for it have really just meant a lot to me. I put a lot into this, and what better way than to lead by example and do the miles myself,” Pollock said.
Students, including Ethan Miller, who carried the 45-pound rucksacks, found the experience eye-opening.
“It sits all the way down to the bottom of your back, so it’s a lot of leaning forward. But it’s a lot less than what veterans actually carry overseas, so you have to put it in perspective and see why you’re doing it,” Miller said.
For more information on the nonprofit, go to www.inasoldiersshoes.org
