Realizing the clock was ticking on the possibility of actually seeing the Vietnam wall in his lifetime, Ric - with the aid of his son - developed a map with exact mileage to walk to the Wall. Once the map was complete Ric realized how massive the endeavor was he wished to undertake and that he could not possibly make that trek, so he settled with walking locally and tallying the miles until he reached the number required to make it to the wall.
Quickly people would recognize Ric as he walked and honk or wave. Ric took this as a sign and began to tally each wave. At the end of each walk he would deposit a quarter in a jar for each wave he received on his walk. Within a month or two he knew he needed to find a home for the funds he was raising and his first thought was to help veterans. After seeing a program on Operation Mend, a joint UCLA and Brown University program that rebuilds not only an injured veterans face and body but their spirit too, Ric knew he had found his match.
Now two years later and over 4000 miles Ric has sent Operation Mend almost $10,000.00. He has visited veterans at UCLA as they mended and come home with a renewed sense of commitment to his efforts.
If you see Ric walking the corridor of Hwy 4 or out and about in Murphys (you can't miss him, hes the guy with the bright orange vest proudly emblazoned with USMC on the back) give him a wave or stop and donate to his efforts.
For more information on Operation Mend visit http://operationmend.ucla.edu/
