Honoring Forgotten Heroes
Professor Tommy Zurhellen’s Memoir, “The Low Road, Walking the Walk for Veterans”
“Professor Tommy Zurhellen signs copies of “The Low Road, Walking the Walk for Veterans” at Hudson River Housing.” Courtesy of the VetZero Facebook page.
“I don’t know which was harder, walking across the country or writing about it,” Tommy Zurhellen said, who recently released his memoir The Low Road, Walking the Walk for Veterans.
In addition to being an associate professor of English at Marist College and the Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 170, Zurhellen is known as the man who walked across America.
A U.S. Navy Veteran himself, Zurhellen worked with the VFW to raise awareness for Veteran support across the nation. At 50 years-old, Zurhellen laced up his sneakers and planted his walking stick (that would later be stolen outside a Dunkin Donuts in Ithaca) into the ground as he began his journey walking across the U.S. He started in Portland, OR on Apr. 15, 2019, and 131 days later returned to Poughkeepsie, NY.
Along his journey, he met inspiring individuals and was greeted by strangers in small towns during his 22 miles-per-day walk — a number chosen specifically to recognize the 22 veteran suicides that occur each day in U.S. He is now sharing the chronicles of his 2,866-mile adventure in The Low Road.
Joining the VFW in search of community service opportunities, Zurhellen quickly found himself as the Commander of Post 170 in Poughkeepsie. He began receiving multiple calls each day from local community members, organizations, and veterans in search of resources and support. Frustrated, the combat veteran wanted to do more. “I had no idea of the challenges veterans have been facing in our community, and in our nation,” Zurhellen said. Almost two dozen veterans commit suicide each day and there are 40,000 homeless veterans nationwide.
“Here I am in my office, and right outside my door there are veterans struggling with mental health, addiction, and homelessness. I became so frustrated that I walked across the country.”
The Low Road takes readers on Zurhellen’s journey of discovering passion and a grander purpose through interactions with significant individuals who lit his path. “I needed to find out why I was out there,” Zurhellen said. He found that reason in an eye-opening conversation with a Vietnam Veteran on the eighth day of his journey — a day that marks a pivotal turning point in his memoir. “Once I had a mission, I wasn’t just walking across the country. I was walking for the forgotten veterans.”
The cover of Zurhellen’s memoir, chronicling his journey across the country to raise awareness for veteran homelessness and suicide. Courtesy of the VetZero Website
Pulling out his journal and old Facebook video diaries, Zurhellen sat down to write the first draft of The Low Road one year after returning home. He faced a new creative process, formulating his experience into a truthful and impactful tale for readers to dive into. Barred from the same expansive freedom of make-believe that characterized his previous novels, Zurhellen was cognizant of each individual story he shared. “These are real people with real feelings,” he said. He prioritized upholding the confidentiality and integrity of each character who shaped his tale.
After his first draft, Zurhellen decided to write a second more expansive draft of the memoir, evenly playing into his personal journal and highlighting his encounters with others. “I am not the hero of this story. The heroes are all of the people I am meeting along the way,” he said. “And I’m going to tell their stories.”
But Zurhellen’s advocacy for veterans’ support and mental health awareness is not confined to the pages of The Low Road. Jovially, he described his role as Commander at the VFW as a full-time gig. “When I got home, I thought it would be over. But I do more now than I ever did before.”
Since completing his walk on Aug. 23, 2019, Zurhellen has continued working closely with VFW to establish the VetZero program and with the local nonprofit Hudson River Housing, providing resources for Veterans to regain control of their mental, physical, and economic health.
In conjunction with Hudson River Housing, all proceeds from The Low Road will go towards funding the VetZero Hero program launching in summer 2021. A traditional sub shop on wheels, the VetZero Hero pop-up sub shop will employ veterans as they serve sandwiches at local farmers markets and catering events in the Hudson Valley Region.
“It’s about giving back to our veterans, but also giving back to the community,” Zurhellen said. However, he encourages community members not to walk across the country. Instead, he asked them to simply volunteer their time — and it doesn’t cost a dime. “We all want to do right by our veterans, but if we don’t know these challenges, we figure ‘thank you for your service’ is enough,” Zurhellen said. “But it’s really not.” He suggests reaching out to local nonprofits, such as Vet2Vet or Hudson River Housing, and asking what you can do to help.
The Low Road, Walking the Walk for Veterans is now available for purchase through Hudson River Housing at the-low-road.square.site for the meaningful price of $22.