My dad would have loved this guy, Ernie Andrus.
On Aug. 26, Ernie finished a little jog across the country in St. Simons, Ga. It took him two years and nine months to run more than 2,631 miles.
Ernie stirred up more than dust with his jaunt that started in San Diego. He ran for a cause that also was close to my dad's heart: the LST -- Landing Ship Tank.
Ernie was a Navy medical corpsman during World War II.
Ernie told a CBS reporter, “I want people to know what the war was all about and what it took to win it.”
He was talking about how the LST put men and machines on beaches ... and so much more.
The LST is the same workhorse my dad served on, hauling ammo during the battle of Okinawa.
Ernie points everyone to Evansville, Ind., where LST 325 is docked.
Like Ernie, LST 325 made its own heroic journey — to prove the same point.
The ship was hammered back into shape and then sailed more than 6,000 miles from Crete with a crew of 29 Navy veterans. They were led by Capt. Robert Jornlin, a farmer from rural Earlville.
Ernie's LST journey was slow and steady. He ran five miles, then got a ride or hitchhiked back to his own vehicle. He’d rest two days and then run another five.
Ernie reported progress each day on his Facebook page. Many cheered and ran with him, especially the day he finished.
Ernie, by the way, is still running. And I should mention ... he is 93 years old.
He has thousands of followers on his Facebook page, and I am proud to be one of them. For me ... and for my dad.
I’m Lonny Cain, and that’s my Perspective.
