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| About Me and Why I’m crossing America |
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| Name: David Michael |
| Age: 52 |
| Birthday: Feb 9, 1956 |
| College: Purdue University |
| Major: Aeronautical Science |
| Favorite Color: Blue |
| Favorite Book: The Bible |
| Favorite Movie: Conversations With God |
| Favorite Food: A good Steak |
My favorite links: |
| Welcome to the "About Me and Why I’m Crossing America" in a wheelchair page! So I guess this is where I should tell you a bit about myself and why I am doing this - so here goes. My name is David Whittaker and I ‘m 53. I was born in Northern Indiana however I have spent the majority of my life in California. I joined the Marine Corps in 1973 and during a training exercise was injured severely nearly losing an eye. I was medically discharged after it was determined my vision was impaired. I attended and graduated from college and worked for a now defunct airline for a few years then ended up in California where I met the love of my life. |
| In 2005, I developed CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) and Cardiomyopathy which over time got worse and caused me to be hospitalized too many times to count. I have been told that I need a heart transplant but, can’t have one due to ending up homeless. I decided I was not going to let things end that way so, I set out to make a difference. I founded Veteran Cottages, an organization working to get our nation's homeless veterans off the streets. To start with, I knew I had to do something to raise awareness of the increasing problem. Talking to several homeless veterans, I asked them several questions about what led to homelessness and about their time in the service. Then, I asked them what symbolized what they fought for and they all told me “Freedom” and the cost of freedom wasn’t free. Somebody needs to stand up for it and fight to protect it. What symbolizes the freedom we have in America? It’s our nation's Flag...the Stars and Stripes! |
| It was then that I realized I needed to use the Flag to raise awareness of homeless veterans everywhere in this country who were sleeping in doorways and under bridges. I received a flag from Glenbrook Dodge, a company who also recognized this problem with homeless veterans. I have traveled the country showing this flag at different events to do just that. I was blessed with the help of Commander Jim Alexander with Superflag, (a company that owns the world's largest US flag). Jim allows me to use the "Superflag" for special events. It was through my efforts of trying to find events to display the "superflag" and bring awareness to the homeless veterans, that I was inspired to create the event to hopefully make more of an impact on the cause for the homeless veterans. |
| Having the Worlds Largest US Flag in gunnies record book made me stop and wonder what I could do to take that a step further. Something that would benefit homeless veterans by making people see how serious the problem is here in America. |
| I will be traveling from Key West, Florida the southern most point to Blaine, Washington in the northernmost point in the northwest. The estimated distance for this trip is over 5,000 miles by route. I will pull a trailer, carrying my 50′ x 80′ Freedom Flag, that is the size of a basketball court. At key stops along the way we will also have the 300′ x 150′ "Freedom Flag" and that flag is the size of a football field. To find out where I am and where I’ll be next, please check back on this site for updates. |
| One thing I also wanted to do was to be able to show people where I am in realtime. My friends at Brickhoue Security and Lightning GPS have made this a reality and have provided me with a pocket size unit that allows that to be a reality. And, Lightning gps has provided the service to make it all work. WOW! I have been using it for the past week and I can tell you that it is one of the most amazing technologies. Just go to my tracking page and where you can read more information. Because of this amazing technology, you can actually see where I am as I move in REALTIME. I want to thank Jason Lazarus for making this all happen ... Thanks Jason and to all of the people at BRICKHOUSE and LIGHTNING GPS and please take time to visit them and all of our sponsors and see these amazing products and they can benefit you, as well. The GPS units have so many features that are not active on mine because so many people have access to the tracking. But, its amazing what you can do with this incredible little unit - such as know where your kids are 24/7... need I say more! To find out the many aplications and diferent devices they have check out the Brickhouse link today... |
| I will upload video clips and photos everyday. Also, thanks to the folks at GO Pro and the Hero cam. You will want to check out this amazing little sports camera! They mount them on formula one cars and anything else you can imagine that's extreeme sports - from cars to skateboards, bicycles to surfboards. Check out this website, as well as all of my sponsors. And, if you are looking to get a new flag, my friends at CVS flag have a special for you. And, when you purchase a flag for your home or business they donate a portion to help Homeless Veterans and that's what this is all about. Another thing we are working on is how to offer live chat at key points along the way. I ask for your support along the way and I am also looking forward to answering your questions from the road. So, come back often and see what's new as we continue to add news and pictures from the road. |
| If you also would like to join me on the road for this trip and be a part of WheelChairs Across America or even join me as member of the support team; you don’t need to be in a wheelchair either. You can do it on a bicycle and if you would like to come along in support of this, please contact me at david@hhva.veterancottages.org |
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