Our walk today was dedicated in honor of :
Marine Veteran David G. Futrell, Age 80 of Rockwood, TN.
Died Sep. 14, 2023
David G. Futrell was born on February 14, 1943 in Coalfield, Tennessee to Alvin and Bernice Futrell. He was a very proud marine that served from 1965-1967.
The 23 year old marine entered the service in November of 1965. Mr. Futrell took 10 weeks of basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina; he was then sent to Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, for an additional 6 weeks of training as a rifleman scout.
After spending a 20-day leave with his family, he left for California on March 29, 1966. From California, Private First Class Futrell was sent to Okinawa, Japan for 30 days of training in jungle warfare, which better qualified him for his service in Vietnam. Pfc. Futrell prepared to be one of the advance scouts for his platoon, to work ahead of them, seeking the enemy and reporting their position to the rest of the platoon.
Marine Lance Corporal David G. Futrell, of Route 2, Rockwood, TN served as a member of “A” Company, First Battalion, Third Marine Regiment, Third Marine Division, in Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Members of the company participated in both day and night patrols, ambushes and extended search and destroy operations against the enemy. They also participated in the Marine Corps civic action programs through people to people operations.
After his time in the service, the majority of his life he was a logger by trade and gave his time to the VFW. Mr. Futrell was the oldest and longest member of VFW Post #4782 Rockwood, Tennessee, where he served as the chaplain. He once took a bus trip with fellow veterans to Arlington National Cemetery, that he thought was neat and talked about long after.
The other parts of his life he enjoyed fishing, watching NASCAR and listening to bluegrass music. He also loved to provide for family and friends by hunting and gardening. If Mr. Futrell had a chance to help someone, he always took it. He was loved by very many and is missed daily.
It was a great honor to walk 44.24 miles with Marine Veteran David G. Futrell. This walk was a special 22 hour walk to bring awareness to the 22 a day. We started our walk at 8am in Crossville, TN. We made a stop at the Veterans Memorial Park down town and then we headed east. We took east first street and when we made Peavine road we took a short break. We then headed east on 70 east and headed towards Crab Orchard. We stopped their and took a good break. Got to visit with a few people and let them know what we were doing. We then headed back out and we got less then 1,000 feet and the sky’s opened up and it rained so hard we had to find cover. We got soaked but after a few min. it slowed down so we continued our walk. Once you get wet then things get a little bit harder when your walking. Your more prone to blistering and it just gets a little harder to walk. We pushed on. We did make it to Rockwood before dark. Once we got their we took a dinner break. I want to thank David’s family for providing drink and food and their hospitality. We continued our walk walking around Rockwood. Getting to know the area a little bit we mainly stayed on the main roads. Doing a walk like this is not easy. It’s not something just anyone can just decide to do it and actually get out and do it. Kelsy, James, and Robert really put their foot forward and did an amazing job. I am so proud of all three of them for making it as far as they did. They were amazing. At about midnight Marine Veteran David G. Futrell headed back out on our walk after a much needed break. We walked the main streets for a while and then we hit some side streets to see what we could see. We went down town and we sat in the park for a short time and then we walked by the American Legion and we crossed over the railroad tracks a few times. It was very peaceful at night. The time started clicking off as the miles started adding up. Before I knew it, it was 6am and we had walked our 22 hours. I believe Marine Veteran David G. Futrell was right their walking with me to keep me going. I did take a few breaks here and their but felt really good. I could have continued the walk even longer but the time was up so we ended the walk. I want to thank everyone who honked, waved, and saluted in helping us honor this hero. We had 402 honks. I also want to thank Kelsy, James, and Robert for walking with us. I will never forget this walk and I will never forget Marine Veteran David G. Futrell.
Marine Veteran David G. Futrell you will not be forgotten !
