Walking the Distance
- Olivia Zmarlicki-Germano
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Olivia Zmarlicki-Germano
Special to LIFE Publications
It all began with my friend and neighbor, Carolyn. On our way back from our monthly dinner, she asked if I had ever seen the man walking down New Britain Avenue in Unionville with a poster on his backpack, and if I knew why. She went on to say, “You usually know about these things, Olivia.” I chuckled, knowing she was right. I had been writing about this area, researching its history and telling stories for years now, yet I had nothing to give her this time. Although I had seen him a couple of times myself, I had never taken the time to find out; always running behind the kids-driven schedule. The question kept daunting me for weeks, until one evening when I saw him again. He walked along the roadside in khaki pants, a black beanie, a neon-yellow shirt, and a backpack. A laminated picture of a soldier was pinned to its back.
As I pulled to the side, my teen cringed, pleading with me to keep going, embarrassed for having me stop to talk to a stranger. I parked some distance in front of the man, put on my hazards and exited the safety of my car, as the evening traffic whooshed by me. I introduced myself and apologized for interrupting his walk, instinctively knowing that whatever cause that he was walking for had great meaning to him. He met me with a smile. “I’m so glad you stopped.” As if answering my unspoken question, he turned to show me the picture pinned to his backpack. “I do it for them,” he said. That night, Stephen Lewis, whose name I later learned, was walking in honor of Branden F. Oberleitner, BCO, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, KIA Fallujah, Iraq, 5-3-03. “Because he deserves to be remembered,” he added.
We met again weeks later in a local cafe. As we spoke, his love for the service members that lost their lives in combat or by suicide, was unmistakable. Mr. Lewis, while serving as a football coach for the University of New Haven, New Britain, Wethersfield, Tolland, Manchester and finally Newington High School, had worked closely with young men every day. He watched them enthusiastically enlist, heading off to distant lands by a sense of duty and desire to protect our country. Sadly, many of those brave men returned home draped in the American Flag, having made the ultimate sacrifice. Others came home with severe injuries, while some struggled to find their place again, forever battling the demons brought on by what they had seen and endured.
In 2001, in the wake of 9/11 and after learning that an average of twenty-two veterans die by suicide each day, he was compelled to act—determined to ensure that, as a nation, we never forget those who sacrificed their lives for our safety and freedom. As he came across the names of the fallen soldiers, he learned about their lives, creating a poster for each one, including their name, rank, division, date of death, and a service portrait. Laminating the poster to shield it from the elements, he attached it to his backpack, and began walking the streets near his home. It was his way to make a difference—quite literally, one step at a time.
Mr. Lewis walks three to four times a week, year-round, regardless of the weather, covering about six miles each time. Every mile offers an opportunity for the community to notice the photograph, ask questions, and—most importantly—remember the life behind it. He hopes that his effort brings awareness to the issues surrounding increased suicide rates. More importantly, he prays that someone contemplating suicide, knowing that they had not been forgotten, will seek the help that they so desperately need and that a live will be saved. Since beginning his journey, he has honored 561 soldiers, pausing only in 2021 due to a knee injury that required surgery and a lengthy recovery.
In 2016, he connected with Sergeant Jon Jackson, whose platoon commander, Captain Kyle Comfort was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, on May 8, 2010. Captain Comfort was just twenty seven years old, recently married and had welcomed his first child, a baby girl, just six months before an explosive device took his life, forever altering his family’s future. Sergeant Jackson, after retiring from the Army, founded Comfort Farms in Milledgeville, Georgia, in memory of his friend and fellow soldier. The farm was meant to be a sanctuary—a place where veterans could live and work, using cognitive agrotherapy to rebuild their sense of purpose and find their way back into civilian life, while tending to gardens, fishing, and caring for livestock. About that time Stephen Lewis stopped coaching and began planning his first long distance walk to honor those whose lives were forever changed by their service.
In May 2017, Mr. Lewis completed a seventy-mile journey he named “The Comfort Walk,” bearing the name of Captain Kyle Comfort on his backpack in tribute. Fittingly, he started his walk at the Manchester Army Navy Club and ended at McBride’s Pub in Providence, RI. The choice of a pub was no accident. The Pub owners, Mark and Janet Russell, third generation funeral home owners, played a significant role in identifying remains of those killed on 9/11. They were also deeply committed to Friends Way (Families Reaching Into Each New Day)—the only nonprofit bereavement center providing free support to grieving families across Southeastern New England. During his first remembrance walk, Mr. Lewis was able to raise approximately $6,000 dollars to benefit Comfort Farms. He credits his success to the generosity of those he meets, particularly in Unionville and Farmington, whose support and goodwill honor the men and women who served our nation.
Never a soldier himself due to a medical condition, Mr. Lewis comes from a military family with a long line of service, including a West Point graduate. He finds this cause near and dear to his heart.
“This is bigger than me,” he states. As a special education paraprofessional and indoor track coach at Farmington High School, he feels a deep obligation to educate the community and give voice to veterans whose stories might otherwise go unheard. At nearly seventy, he plans to keep walking the streets of Unionville and Farmington for as long as he is able, and to reprise The Comfort Walk this Memorial Day weekend, raising more funds for his cause.
Guided, as he told me, by the Lord, Stephen Lewis also works closely with The Second Mission Foundation, founded by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles Faint. The Foundation is devoted to educating, advocating, and elevating all veterans. His current project - involvement in underwriting and production of “Last Out” and “Eleven Days” with Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Scott Mann, a former Green Beret. LTC Mann, a veteran of multiple tours in Iraq, Colombia, and Afghanistan, founded Task Force Pineapple, a nonprofit theater company committed to bringing the stories of America’s warriors to life—stories written and performed by the very men and women who lived them.
As I shook his hand before parting ways, he said “people die twice, first when their body dies, second when no one speaks of them anymore.” Stephen Lewis is determined to keep their memory alive and have their service and sacrifice for their country count.
So, when you see him walk along the streets of our town, slow down for a moment and think of the person that he is walking in honor of. Think of a life lost and all those affected by their passing. Perhaps we can no longer help those that have left this earth, other than remembering their beautiful souls, but do whatever it is that can be done to help stop the service men and women affected by mental illness from taking their own lives, for each life is special and worth living. Join Stephen Lewis, this humblest of men, and find a way to change this world one step at a time. VL
If you would like to support Stephen Lewis in his cause, please direct your donations to Comfort Farms through their website; https://www.stagvetsinc.org/comfort-farms
