WWII veteran honors heroes with 2,600-mile run!

Navy veteran Ernie Andrus crossed the country on foot—twice!—to raise money for a restored WWII ship and to recognize the incredible sacrifices men and women in our military make every day

- Diane Herbst

That sounds like something I'd like to do, thought 80-year-old Ernie Andrus when he cheered on a man who was running through every country in the world as he came through Ernie's town in Prescott, Arizona. But I want to do something nobody else has ever done. The World War II Navy veteran soon discovered that if he were to run across the United States, he would become the oldest person to complete the feat.

Bursting with excitement, Ernie kept the far-fetched idea a secret, meanwhile participating in a 200-mile relay race at age 88.

I got so much attention, he mused. If I run cross-country, maybe I can raise money for our ship! The ship was a USS LST-325, a World War II tanker similar to the one he served on in the South Pacific, and now the last one in existence. In 2000, Ernie and other veterans had traveled to Crete, where it was docked, and restored the ship. They then sailed it to Evansville, Indiana, and transformed it into a museum and memorial.

But Ernie dreamed of sailing it back to the shores of Normandy, France, for the 75th D-Day anniversary on June 6, 2019. This is going to cost millions, he thought. But what a great way to honor our heroes.

Dreaming big