Sinh Tho Nguyen was limping when he left Louisiana for Texas last week.
Layers of skin peeled from the soles of his callused feet.
Swollen, cracked and badly blistered, his feet needed medical attention, but he wasn't about to stop once he reached the edge of Tarrant County. With his face turned to the afternoon sun, the weary traveler headed west, buoyed by thoughts of family and the comforting prospect of falling asleep in his own bed.
"There is no place like Fort Worth!" said Nguyen, beaming.
Nguyen, a 40-year-old water meter reader, is recuperating at the Fort Worth home of his sister, where he lives.
The Army and Texas National Guard veteran saw a Veterans Administration hospital doctor Friday. He said the physician strongly advised him to rest for at least two weeks and referred him to a podiatrist.
"I already miss walking," Nguyen said.
He hopes to reach San Diego in November.
"In America, the sky is the limit," Nguyen said, when asked about his motivation for his odyssey. "I always have a dream that I would do something bigger than myself to reflect my love. I only want to thank America and honor all those who serve."
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