Iraq Veteran Hikes Indiana as Part of 7,000 Mile Trip

PASADENA, Calif., May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As Iraq veteran Troy Yocum hikes his way through Indiana on his 7,000-mile trek across the country, he will be joined by fellow veterans of the legendary Indiana National Guard "War Hawks" of the 151st Infantry.  Sponsored by military support nonprofit Soldiers' Angels, the goal of Troy's Drum Hike is to draw attention to and raise money to assist struggling veterans and their families.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100504/DC98365 )

The 151st Infantry is the unit with whom Troy deployed to Iraq in 2007, and the unit of Vietnam veteran and Drum Hike participant, "Purple Heart Parachutist" Dallas Wittgenfeld.  Company D of the 151st Infantry War Hawks trained and deployed as Special Operations Airborne Rangers in Vietnam during 1968-69, becoming one of the conflict's most combat-decorated companies in the Army.  The unit's history stretches all the way back to the Pioneer Era and the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Honoring their shared legacy, Dallas will be parachuting into locations along the route with a giant American flag as Troy stands by to welcome him.  Together they also plan to spend time at the Camp Atterbury Museum on May 6, 2010 to honor the 151st's heroes of their fight in Vietnam, and Dallas is looking forward to sharing stories and showing Troy the pictures of his brothers who did not make it back.  They also plan to welcome and spend some time with as many of their fellow 151st veterans as can join them that day.  

An Airborne Ranger with four decades of experience, Dallas served in Company D, 151st and is a native of Decatur, IN.  He has jumped out of planes, helicopters and hot-air balloons, and was the poster-featured parachutist in Normandy, France during D-day commemorations.  He will jump in Indiana in honor of all members of the 151st, past and present.  "As I pack my giant flag parachute in support of Soldiers' Angels and the 151st, I will think of all the Purple Heart veterans who are not here today," Dallas says.

As part of events, a small number of "Drum Hiker Collector Flags" for sale along the Drum Hike route will be parachuted down with Dallas, and both he and Troy will be available to autograph them.  They will sell onsite for $50 and can also be purchased online at www.angelsstore.org/product_p/drumhike.htm, with each sale benefiting Soldiers' Angels.

For more information about Dum Hike and parachute events in and throughout Indiana, see www.drumhike.com.

SOURCE Soldiers' Angels