In 1962 or 1963, President John F. Kennedy urged military officers to complete a 50-mile walk to show their physical preparedness. President Teddy Roosevelt had done the same thing early in the 20th Century.
The officers responded, but so did enlisted personnel and many civilians. The walks received considerable news coverage at the time, but I recall the walks because of the one that originated near St. Benedict’s College (now Benedictine) and went from Atchison, Kan., to St. Joseph, Mo., and back. I was an observer, not a participant. There was no way I could see myself walking that far.
There were a lot of military people in the walk, and a lot of college kids. I do not recall any of those who finished early, but I do remember one friend who was among the last to finish. I thought he might croak. The day turned out to be unseasonably warm, and my buddy not only had blisters on his feet, he had blisters from sunburn.
Had the idea caught on and been carried forward, we might be a different nation today. I’ve felt for a long time that obesity is one of the country’s leading problems. We see with Covid 19 how obese individuals are frequent victims of that disease. Obesity causes many other problems, not just health issues.
I would love to see President Trump bring back the Roosevelt/Kennedy idea of the walk. It would be interesting to see if he got the same response as Kennedy. Trump should take part in the walks. I don’t think President Kennedy did any part of the walk. I would assume that is because he had a really bad back.
Kennedy’s press secretary Pierre Salinger drew laughs in the ways he ducked the challenge to walk. Salinger was considerably overweight. Bobby Kennedy, the president’s brother who was also attorney general, completed the 50 miles in freezing temperatures, wearing street shoes as he made his way through the snow and slush on the ground that day. There were six other aides who started the walk with Bobby Kennedy. None made it past 35 miles.
At his age I wouldn’t expect Trump to attempt to be a Bobby Kennedy, but I would be very disappointed if he turned into a Pierre Salinger. Five or ten miles would be spectacular.
