Man on coast-to-coast walk for fallen Navy SEALs stops in Phoenix

PHOENIX — A retired high-tech CEO is 350 miles and a few days away from fulfilling a goal that he’s had for almost 20 years: walking coast-to-coast for the families of fallen Navy SEALs.

“I started April 1 at the Little Creek Navy Seal Base in Virginia Beach, Virginia and I’ll finish at the Seal Base in Coronado, California on Sept 1.,” Paul Ferrarro of New Jersey said.

But not until he crosses Arizona in the brutal summer heat. He knew Arizona would be the toughest stretch with forecasts calling for highs near 110 degrees and overnight lows around 90 degrees. That doesn’t take into account the monsoon storms.

“I got caught in the microburst Tuesday night,” he said. “That was enough. Everything I had was soaked. It was a tough night.”

Ferraro downplayed anyone who marvels at his walk across America for the Navy SEAL Foundation.

“This is nothing compared to what these brave warriors and their families do for us,” he said. “This is my way of giving back, and I’d love for people to know what these families go through and, when we lose one of them, that there’s an organization that will take care of their families.”

Ferraro said his dying father wanted him to make the cross-country journey.

“It’s taken me 17 years to get enough time, money and energy,” he said. “As I approach 60 years of age, if I don’t do it now, I won’t be able to do it physically.”

So far, Ferrarro has raised $20,000 of his $100,000 goal.

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