Georgian on march for U.S. troops

“Hi, I’m doing a walkathon for our troops, and I’d like to let you know about it,” Christopher “Cody” Anderson said, handing a stranger a simple white business card. It is inscribed with “God Bless America” next to a picture of the flag.

Through June until July 7, the 53-year-old Georgian has been repeating his routine as he walks from the U.S. Capitol to the White House daily — except for Sundays, which are reserved for church. Along the six-mile round trip, he will hand out thousands of his little cards, asking anybody he sees to buy an international phone card and send it to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He expects to cover about 800 miles in the month’s time.

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Bob Keefe /bkeefe@ajc.com

As Cody Anderson of Mineral Bluff walks between the U.S. Capitol and the White House, he asks passersby to donate phone cards for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As for anybody who might think he’s a little crazy, “I think they’re crazy for not doing anything,” Anderson replied.

“I want to do the best I can for the world, and this is the best I can do.”

What may sound like an eccentric stunt is actually just another charity project for Anderson, a slight man of 140 pounds who lives in Mineral Bluff, Ga., hard by the Tennessee border. In 1979, for instance, in his 20s, Anderson grabbed headlines for walking across America pulling a 200-pound homemade covered wagon behind him for 4,800 miles to raise money and awareness for the American Heart Association.

Ten years later, after the Challenger space shuttle disaster, he built a bicycle that resembled a space shuttle, shoved his last $5 in his pocket and went cross-country again, covering 7,000 miles to raise money and publicity for CARE, the Atlanta-based charity group.

In 2001, he hovered above the Gulf of Mexico attached to a parasail for four days to raise money for another Atlanta-based charity, the American Cancer Society.

“I’ve not seen anybody with the stick-to-itiveness that Cody has,” said the Rev. Michael Armstrong, pastor at a United Methodist church in Washington, where Anderson is staying for free during his latest sojourn. “He’s very energetic, he’s very delightful … and he can probably talk to anybody.”

And talk he does.

Prior to beginning his walk on a recent rainy day, Anderson visited the offices of any member of Congress who would listen, handing out his little cards and asking for their support. Stop him and he’ll gladly reach into his backpack for his binder filled with newspaper articles chronicling previous feats and letters of recommendation from everyone from Gov. Sonny Perdue to President George W. Bush. He’ll show you the keys to different cities he collected.

“He’s an outstanding self-promoter,” said Wayne Rhodes, communications director for the General Board of Church and Society at the United Methodist Church.

Anderson acknowledges he doesn’t always meet his goals. He wanted to raise $1 million on his cross-country walk but says he ended up with only $40,000 in pledges. On his cross-country bike ride, he set out to raise several million dollars but wound up with only $60,000 in pledges.

But phone cards may be an easier sell. Anderson decided on phone cards after a trip to Iraq a few years ago, when he delivered 15,000 pounds of supplies to troops.

What the troops said they liked most, he said, were the 7,000 phone cards included in the giant care package. His goal:

1 million cards.

There is a snag. His business cards ask recipients to send phone cards directly to the White House, where they can be distributed to troops — but Anderson hasn’t cleared that part yet with the White House. U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) has written the White House on Anderson’s behalf to try to smooth the way.

Anderson admits the walking is a lot harder than it was in his 20s and 30s. His body isn’t what it used to be.

“This is probably my last really big walk,” he said. “It just hurts too much now.”

On one of the final days of his final walk, Anderson will turn 54 in the nation’s capital. His birthday is on the Fourth of July.

“I can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday,” he said, turning to the west and striking out for the White House.