Operation: Hero Trek raises awareness of sacrifices made by military families
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CAMP LEJEUNE -- One man's 2,000 mile journey to see his son come home from Afghanistan is nearly finished. Mike Mobley began Operation: Hero Trek in March walking all the way from Colorado to Camp Lejeune to see his son Sgt. Ryan Mobley.
On Friday he was joined by members of the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines and their families for the final leg of the trip. Mobley says he wants the trip to raise awareness about the sacrifices made by military families.
"It's tough. I mean a lot of people don't understand what families actually go through," he said. "Of course it's hard on the guys that are deployed, but the family that stays at home, they're kind of in their own little world."
Mobley's family has been through eight deployments total when you count those of his twin brother Matt, who is an army staff sergeant. Staff Sgt. Matt Mobley says he even served in Iraq at the same time as his brother during one deployment.
"While we were overseas in Iraq we were only 40 to 50 miles apart the entire time but we never saw each other and that's the deployment we both got wounded on within two or three months of each other," he said.
Mobley is scheduled to return Saturday night and his wife Sarah is eagerly awaiting his arrival.
"We've had a long distance marriage," she said. "We've only lived together for three months out of the two years so for me this is like the home stretch. This is it and then we can finally be together."
At the finish line for Operation: Hero Trek Maj. Gen. John Toolan, commander of the 2nd Marine Division, greeted the Mobley family.
During Mike Mobley's two month journey he raised money for the Wounded Warrior Foundation, Fisher House and other military related charities.