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With a planned route of more than 2,000 miles in front of him, U.S. Army veteran Chance Huffman will start his trek on foot to Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday morning, hoping to raise money for his fellow veterans along the way.

“It is super difficult for veterans (coming home), especially if you have been in an active role,” Huffman said. “You can almost become an adrenaline junkie, and . . . I hope I can raise money to help other veterans, my brothers and sisters.”

Huffman, 31, a former Army specialist and a Lorena High School graduate, returned from combat and transitioned into a volunteer role with Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga military force and returned home about four weeks ago. While deployed and on his volunteer assignment, he promoted his efforts on Instagram and gained supporters.

“Before I came back from Iraq, I started thinking of ways that I could help out veterans,” Huffman said. “One of my battle buddies lived here in Waco and he just moved back to his original home in Portland, so I did the drive with him and I kept thinking this would be the perfect route.”

He divided his perfect route into a 40-to-50-day backpacking hike through New Mexico, Utah and Nevada to meet up with his combat friend in Portland, Huffman said.