Marine to hike East Coast, sharing vets' success stories

TShane Johnson, a Marine veteran who was homeless for two years, plans to hike down the East Coast over a span of three months starting on Sept. 11 of this year.

“First thing is, it’s all about leadership," Johnson told FOX Business' Stuart Varney on Varney & Co. on Wednesday. "I think in the community and in America today, leadership is just a thing that seems to be a dying breed."

The hike, named "Hike Across America," works to raise money for wounded people in the military who need help building homes. Johnson’s goal is to raise $1 million for the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program, which works to build smart homes for wounded heroes, according to his website.

“The concept behind it is to take an experience that, normally, veterans have kind of looked at in a weak perspective and put it into a strong perspective, and say all the things that we were taught in the military, we should be applying [to] the civilian world,” Johnson said.

He explained the idea behind the hike is to give back to the community, while still allowing him to run his business and spend time with his family.

Johnson has hiked down the East Coast four times already, covering over 7,000 miles.

He will have to hike up to 22 miles per day, all while carrying a 100-pound backpack. It will span all the way from New York City Ground Zero to Central Florida.

Johnson noted he will take breaks during the hike for special events at Naval stations and football games as well as speaking engagements at museums, colleges and rotary clubs. He hopes to inspire others by retelling other veterans’ success stories, according to his website.

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After reaching Central Florida, Johnson will continue on, trying to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon carrying 100 pounds, his website stated.