By Peter Day
Senior Reporter
Last spring, 69-year-old Tennessee pastor Chick McGill walked a lonely, windy stretch of Highway 18, more than 3,000 miles into a coast-to-coast journey.
McGill, who completed his 3,200-mile national prayer walker at the Santa Monica Pier on April 29, was recently honored as a Military Hero of the Game at the Dodgers vs. Brewers National League baseball game on Sunday, July 12 at Dodger Stadium.
McGill was a communications-navigation technician for the U.S. Air Force during his two years serving in the Vietnam War.
During his walk, the pastor shouldered a large American flag the full distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans and saluted every passing motorist on his walk as a gesture of honor and respect for his fellow Americans. McGill is seeking to have is "cross country flag" enshrined at the National Museum of of American History and is gathering citizen support via an online U.S. Flag Petition.
On the Lucerne Valley leg of his historic journey, he was impressed by the residents' hospitality and patriotism.
“California has been better than I expected,” he said. “I was expecting ice cold hearts and hot weather. People have been honking, waving and saluting.”
And the last two nights, well-wishers treated the pastor and a member of his only crew team member to dinner.
“I’m looking for the good stuff,” McGill said. “I’m looking for the good life. We’re in this thing together. I’m not preaching at people. I’m encouraging people. This country’s in a jam. I avoid getting political, but let’s look in the mirror and see what we can do for our country. If you’re going to talk the talk, walk the walk.”