CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – As a final white dove took flight from the Clarksville Veterans Memorial Park, a sudden downpour consumed the small ceremony honoring fallen and wounded soldiers.
Jack Huffman is on a mission from Sarasota, Florida, to Rochester Hills, Michigan, completely on foot. It consists of 1,500 miles, six states, and one purpose: to honor the fallen and wounded soldiers.
Huffman isn’t making this journey alone. Besides the support he has garnered, he pulls a small wagon with two plastic boxes, and strapped to the top is a pet carrier holding a single white dove named “Nikki.”
“I’m trying to show that we’re not as divided as we believe to be,” Huffman told Clarksville Now as he walked. “I’ve gone through some very rough neighborhoods. Sticking out being the only white guy in the neighborhood. I’ve had some really rough and tough guys come up to me gave me water and gave donations. They didn’t even want any recognition. They just wanted to help and be part of it.”
It’s not Huffman’s first time making this type of trek. In 2019, he stepped off from Newport Beach, California, and 79 days later, he was standing at the Atlantic Ocean in Georgia, a 2,841-mile journey.
“Five or six years ago, I was overweight and unhealthy, drinking too much and just unhappy. One day, something clicked,” Huffman said. “I changed everything I was doing. My diet, my exercise, and within 90 days, I had lost 50 pounds.”
According to Huffman, his family is spread out into all branches of the military. In 2002, he joined the Army and served as a Chinook helicopter mechanic at Fort Eustace, Virginia.
“I have lots of friends and family that are veterans,” Huffman said. “My buddy, Ken, he has all the doves, and he has a lot of places all across the country, and we built the whole route around the dove releases and being able to do them with our veterans.”
Jimmy White Dove Release provided the doves, which are trained to return to their home, usually within a 50-to-100-mile radius of their release location. Nikki, however, is trained to specifically return to Michigan.
At 11 a.m., Huffman arrived at Veterans Plaza in Clarksville. As the national anthem played for the ceremony, one by one, each dove was released. Despite the unexpected heavy rain at the end, Huffman grinned, and many in attendance said the rain was a sign.
Huffman is entering the final leg of his journey and should arrive in Michigan by July 13. Nikki will be released at the finish of Huffman’s journey during the sixth annual Salute Our Warriors event in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
“This walk is to help unite and inspire our communities to get walking and healthy,” Huffman’s website reads. “That our dreams are within reach. We just have to take the steps to get there.”