Army veteran running border to border in the United States stops in Decorah Tuesday

Mike Ehredt

In 2010 retired postal clerk and Army veteran Mike Ehredt ran from the Pacific Ocean in Oregon to the Atlantic Ocean in Maine--a trip of 4,514 miles that he made to honor and remember Service Members who died in Iraq.

The trip was so meaningful to Ehredt that he's doing another run in 2012--from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico.

Ehredt passed through Decorah on Tuesday, stopping to speak to an assembly Tuesday afternoon at Decorah Middle School.  He told students, "Whatever dreams you have, it's all yours."  He encouraged the students to pursue their dreams.

In his case, that meant wearing out 19 pairs of shoes while walking coast-to-coast in 2010.  He expects to wear out nine shoes on this year's run, which ends November 11th in Galveston, Texas.

Ehredt's visit to Decorah coincided with the national remembrance of September 11th.  He told the students he thought about the names of the 9/11 victims as he walked into Decorah Tuesday.  Ehredt has no formal connection to the amred forces through his walk, but says he wanted to say "thank you" to all the veterans who served their country.

For more information about Ehredt's walk, visit www.projectamericarun.com.

Members of the DMS cross country team helped Ehredt with his program

Students gave Ehredt an enthusiastic reception