Neil Davis is on a 3,178-mile journey called “Not Broken, Just Damaged Walk Across America” to raise funds and awareness for the charities Combat Stress in the UK and The Wounded Warrior Project in the United States.

On his fundraising page at justgiving.com, he wrote in part: “Quite simply, it’s now time for me to do something to help.” Mr Davis has served in both British and American forces.

His post continued: “That soldiers regularly pay the ultimate sacrifice for their country makes me both sad and proud. But what of the ones who return home only to continue to live with their experiences on a daily basis? What about them?

“My main source of inspiration is mostly due to my unwavering respect and admiration for every single man or woman who elects to serve in their country’s Armed Forces and, who sometimes subsequently pay a high price for that service,” the post added.

On August 1, Mr Davis began an ambitious journey: to walk, unsupported, across the United States, from Cape Cod, Mass., to Huntington Beach, Calif. He is aiming to cover 3,000 miles over a span of 108 days. But broadens his timeframe to 120-150 days, to account for unforeseeable circumstances.

On Day 12 of his journey he passed through Newtown.

With a police escort from Southbury Officer Chris Grillo on Wednesday afternoon around 2:30 pm, the British and American flags flying on Mr Davis’s three-wheeled push cart were visible as he approached the Sil-ver Bridge on River Road. Moving through traffic, he soon crossed into Sandy Hook.

On Glen Road with the bridge just behind him, he stopped in the shade. With his heavy British accent, to Officer Grillo, he said, “Quite a kerfuffle crossing there.” The two has passed through an active construction zone. The officer had helped Mr Davis navigate the narrow, winding River Road in Southbury, and also cross the historic bridge whose decks are being replaced.

He leaned on a large pack he pushed on the cart, noting the sleeping roll, sleeping bag, phone, clothes, tent, and a GPS unit. He estimates that he has covered about 25 miles a day. On Wednesday his aim was to reach Danbury.

While he has done no publicity other than post on his Facebook page at Not Broken - Just Damaged Walk Across America 2015, readers have been announcing his walk and whereabouts in area towns.

“People are doing my publicity. I can’t believe it,” he said.

Of the people he has met and the many who stop him to talk, he said, “The kindness and generosity has been unbelievable.” As he began walking at a good pace, he got only a few yards when Newtown resident and Marine Corps veteran Ray Corbo pulled his truck off the road and approached Mr Davis. The two soon shook hands and spoke.

“I get stopped all the time, that’s the funny part of it,” Mr Davis said.

Both a British and a US Army veteran, Mr Davis has been planning his trip for a year, he said. When he last returned from Afghanistan in June, he said he was down, and knew veterans needed help, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“So, I came up with a great idea” to cross the country on foot, he said. Standing in the shade Wednesday afternoon and laughing, he said, “It didn’t seem so great 11 days ago.” But he said that veterans in both countries “get a raw deal,” and “mental health is something people don’t want to talk about.” He hopes that his walk helps raise funds and awareness.

“I hope, during my walk, that people start talking about it, do something. That would be great.” He mentioned PTSD, homelessness, and suicide rates among veterans.

“Unacceptable,” he said. “So, if I walk across the country and it prevents one suicide…”

Once he is back in the UK, he plans to do a photo diary of his travels and those he has met, “and publish something,” he said. Thinking of his goal of helping veterans, he said, “By the time I am home I’ll have finished the walk, but I am not finished.”

Not Broken, Just Damaged

On his fundraising page (justgiving.com/not-broken-just-damaged), Mr Davis shares his story. In the second paragraph, he writes, “During a recent conversation with a close Army friend of mine, it was agreed that we all have baggage of some description, which some of us can manage with little or no external help. Sadly, some veterans do not have this luxury and rather than seek help, it is bottled up inside like a ticking bomb. No one can sustain that amount of stress and pressure for long, which invariably ends with heart-wrenching consequences.”

He admitted, “The enormity of this event weighs heavily upon my shoulders and, occasionally, I am overcome with utter panic.

“On paper, it sounds as if it will be a great voyage of self discovery for me and it probably will; however 108 days of walking 30 miles per day really does fill me with so much self-doubt about my own ability to sustain that pace.”

Later he states: “This is the challenge. This is why I want your money. I am funding this event myself, although currently, I’m as poor as I ever have been in my life. All I’m asking for is to donate something ... anything to this cause and for that I’ll walk 3,178 miles in under 150 days ...  Hopefully.”

At just the beginning of his weeks-long endeavor, Mr Davis laughed again on Wednesday when he realized he was “only in Connecticut.”

On his fundraising page is another note regarding a link to a song written by his friend Mike Cullen, “The song is about how a traumatized soldier deals with returning home and it sums up exactly, everything I want to say... but does it so much better than I ever could. 

“Comin’ Home” by the band Big Wave includes a video, which is a series of old service photographs, soldiers in uniform, on the battlefield, and at home. The lyrics say:

“Sniperfire coming from a TV screen got me down on my face / When the kid’s got a wife and his body’s still warm there ain’t much left to say.”

The scene: A man with his face covering his hands.

“Don’t want to do anything tonight, except pray.”

A soldier killed in battle is sprawled on the ground, face to the sky and his hat beside him.

“Saw a dead man lying in Lincoln Street. Nobody else could see.”

Another image appears with a man standing in a field in silouette, firing a rifle.

 “He got up in a hail of smoke and machine and I saw that it was me.”

Another man, shoulders slumped, holds his head in his hands.

“And the young man walked in out of the night, no shoes on his feet.”

Soldiers resting on their elbows, belly-down in a field.

 “And I shot him dead in the campfire light, and his eyes still looked at me … Don’t wanna go anywhere tonight where I can see. Don’t wanna even open up my eyes. That’s where he’ll be.”

Again, a man’s image, arms and legs folded in, with the hands covering his face. The scene fades as a small house with a quaint fronth porch and red front door appears,

“Don’t wanna come home tonight. Baby please don’t let me in.”

The wounded soldiers are scattered in the sand. Fire and smoke burst from a crumbling building. Helicopters hover over waiting soldiers.

The song ends.

Supporters can learn more about Mr Davis and make a donation through his page at justgiving.com/not-broken-just-damaged. Followers can also read about his journey’s progress on Facebook at Not Broken Just Damaged Walk Across America 2015.