![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/images.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nFolks have been asking us about Troy Yocum<\/a>, an Iraq veteran who claims that he walked more than seven thousand miles across the country to raise money for veterans issues. From his Wiki page<\/a>;<\/p>\n Inspired by his World War II grandfather, who took his own life, and a close military friend, who lost his home after returning from deployment, Yocum decided to make it his personal mission to help struggling veterans.<\/p>\n Yocum began a 16-month journey, dubbed “The Drum Hike” on April 17, 2010 at the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Thunder Over Louisville celebration. Yocum bangs his drum when entering towns and cities to bring attention to his cause and carries a bat for mayors and governors to sign. Averaging 20 miles per day, the hike would take him, his wife, and two dogs over more than seven thousand miles and 37 major U.S. cities by the time they make it home.<\/p>\n Yocum’s goal is to raise five million dollars and was sponsored by nonprofit Soldiers’ Angels.<\/p>\n Due to the extreme physical activity, Yocum has suffered several different medical complications. While in Colorado, he suffered an attack of kidney stones, which required hospitalization and in January 2011, his foot became infected and hence slowed the hike.<\/p>\n In January 2011, Soldier’s Angels pulled their support for Yocum due to concern for his health and well being.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n According to unnamed sources, Soldiers’ Angels provided him with a support vehicle which he would ride from town-to-town, get out at the city limits and start beating his drum through town, as if he had been walking the whole time. I’m told that he gained 40 pounds while walking across the country. That’s pretty hard to do when you’re walking twenty miles\/day. When someone ambushed him and walked with him for 2-3 miles, Yocum got shin splints – an injury from being out of shape.<\/p>\n I’m told that Soldiers’ Angels lost about $140,000 supporting Yocum and they only got about $11,000 in donations from him. That’s probably the reason they pulled support from him, not concerns about his health.<\/p>\n Yocum is a veteran of OIF, but according to his mates, he was in Kuwait. He was injured and evacuated, but they claim that he slipped in the shower. They also tell me that the only casualties they suffered during their time there, were from traffic accidents.<\/p>\n Yocum was a trained infantryman, assigned to the 1\/151st Infantry, but he was awarded no Combat Infantryman Badge for his time there, probably because he wasn’t engaged in any combat. According to his FOIA, Yocum spent about eleven years in service, in the Guard, and left as a Private First Class, although he claims that he was a specialist. His mates claim that he was suspected of malingering and that influenced his decision to leave the Guard.<\/p>\n He is currently at Active Heroes, an organization that claims that it’s main mission in life is to eliminate veterans’ suicide. A worthy endeavor, indeed. Out of the seventeen people on Board, according to the their website<\/a>, only six (including Troy) are veterans – I would think that number is low considering their stated mission.<\/p>\n Some other organizations that he’s worked with are claiming that Yocum isn’t delivering what he promised them and that seems to be his Modus Operandi. But there’s also evidence that he is involved with unsavory elements – for example, here’s a picture of him cavorting with Dallas Wittgenfeld;<\/p>\n Folks warn me that he’s very vindictive and that’s why there’s so little negative information out there about him. I know for a fact that he tried to spread lies about POW Network when they investigated Yocum. Luckily, I have just the right number of friends, so I don’t need to make more.<\/p>\n I’m not calling this stolen valor, because nothing he has said really rises to the level that you’ve come to expect from us here at TAH, but it is warning for folks to do their homework before they enter into business with Troy Yocum, who according to Guidestar<\/a>, is the president of Active Heroes and his wife is Vice President of Programs.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/114766779-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Troy_Yocum_Blog_500-1-300x225.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Troy-Yocum-FOIA-AA1-232x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Wittgenfeld-yocum-300x214.jpg\")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n