Every day stories are posted and published about people doing extraordinary things for charities or to raise awareness and on Dec. 31, a Fort Riley Soldier participated in one of those activities.
Lt. Col. Robert Parish, director of Behavioral Health at Irwin Army Community Hospital, joined 33-year-old French native, Andre Belibi Eloumou, in his trek across the United States.
Eloumou left Brooklyn, New York, Nov. 1 on a 3,600-mile cross country run that will finish in Los Angeles, California, in March. He said he is completing his journey to promote education about the United Nations Refugee Agency and to pay tribute to American pioneers who made the trek west via the different trails in the early years of the westward expansion of America.
The two are members of the same church and Parish said when he found out that Eloumou was going to be running through Fort Riley, he offered his help. So, the men met in Manhattan that morning and started their run toward the installation.
“I said you probably need my help getting onto Fort Riley,” Parish said. “So, we made it through Fort Riley and just kept running.”
Parish said it was a good experience to share Fort Riley with
Eloumou.
“We got some pictures in front of the First Territorial Capital and the historical marker there,” he said. “It was nice.”
Eloumou said he appreciated the company.
“I’ve been through more than half of America,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”
Eloumou has a website, www.andrerunusa.com, where people can follow his path and learn more about his journey across the country.