Apopka woman will walk crosscountry to thank veterans

Five years into the Iraq war, Keela Carr nests with neither hawks nor doves. Rather, the Apopka woman is more a lark, preferring to sing the praises of America’s troops.

“I’m still unsure as to whether it’s a big mess and we’ve got to get out, or stay and toe the line,” says Carr, 34. “All I know is that I stand behind the men and women who wear that uniform.”

Next month, she plans to back up that pledge by launching a 2,670-mile walking tour from California to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It’s her way of saying thanks for five years of service and sacrifice. “For me, this conflict is about the life that I as an American am privileged to lead because of what these men and women do,” Carr says. “It’s the unfolding of an awesome love affair.”

Carr says that as a child she fell hard for what the uniform stood for, particularly after a senior-class trip to Washington, D.C., kindled her patriotism.