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| Soldier’s 1,000-mile walk benefits War Kids Relief |
By: DAVID HENKE, Staff Writer
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Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009 10:56 pm
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NORTHFIELD — As a soldier in Iraq, North Dakota native Gunnar Swanson watched as Iraqi children fell victim to the violence that consumed the country following the United States-led invasion.
Drafted by insurgent groups, the once-friendly children following Swanson’s convoy or interacting with soldiers became human shields, soldiers and spies. Within three months of his arrival in the country, the same children Swanson and his fellow soldiers used to talk to and trade with became an unknown factor — a potentially dangerous or deadly distraction for the American soldiers occupying the country.
Swanson’s worries for the Iraqi children weighed heavily on him. Even after he returned to civilian life after his tour of duty ended in 2004, he couldn’t forget about the children he had met, or ignore his concern for them.
Which is why, five years after he left Iraq, Swanson is planning a 1,000-mile, cross-country walk to raise money for Northfield-based non-profit organization War Kids Relief. As part of the fundraiser, called “A Soldier’s March for Peace,” Swanson will walk from Dallas to Northfield, stopping at cities and towns along the way to give presentations and raise money.
The funds he raises will be used by War Kids Relief to build a youth rehabilitation center in Mosul, Iraq, and an after-school, vocational training program in Afghanistan, as well as funding several other peace-building programs in the United States.
Swanson hopes that the programs will give youth in Iraq and Afghanistan an alternative to violence, which in turn will make it safer for American troops stationed abroad.
“I just decided that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life, I wanted to help kids traumatized by war,” Swanson said. “What better way is there to help the children and support the troops than taking these kids out of the hads of insurgents so they can’t be used as tools of war.”
Swanson’s walk begins on the Fourth of July. Currently, he and Dina Fesler, the founder of War Kids Relief in Dennison, are hurriedly making preparations for the journey. Fesler, who also created a pen pal exchange between Iraqi and American children under the auspices of War Kids Relief earlier this year, hopes the walk will galvanize attention nation-wide for the needs of children in war-torn countries — particularly among American youth. Along those lines, Fesler has given a number of Northfield youth a role in organizing War Kids Relief’s fundraising effort.
“We’re using kids as a catalyst for the fundraising,” Fesler said. “If you get 2,000 kids in each of the 50 states to come up with $10, then you have a million dollars.”
Northfield youth and the War Kids Relief organization hosts a kick-off ceremony to commemorate Gunnar Swanson’s 1,000-mile fundraising walk. The celebration will be held in Central Park from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday. After a series of activities and performances in the park, a the celebration will move to Bridge Square, where Swanson will give a presentation and hold a rally from 4 to 5 p.m. Following the presentation, Northfield youth will hold an awareness concert at the Northfield Union of Youth.
For more information about War Kids Relief, or to follow Gunnar Swanson's progress during his 1,000-mile trek, visit www.warkidsrelief.org/
— David Henke covers city, business and youth issues. He can be reached at dhenke@northfieldnews.com or 645-1100. |
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