Tony the Vet Takes on a New Mission

A disabled veteran who walked from San Diego to New York City for the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks to draw attention to the plight of veterans was in Bethlehem on Friday at the end of his first day of a new marathon walk.

Anthony A. LoBue, better known to many as “Tony the Vet,” visited with Mayor John Callahan following an afternoon of walking from the Curtis National Guard Armory in Allentown to – the first leg of a journey that will take him to Grand Central Station in New York City on March 11.

You might have seen LoBue walking through the streets of the city, carrying a large American flag and wearing a small sandwich board. Callahan presented LoBue with a city proclamation recognizing his efforts to draw attention to the needs of veterans.

LoBue founded Support Our Veterans Association in 2010, promoting what he calls the 3 Rs – recognition, rewards and respect, for all veterans, their families and veterans organizations. On September 11, 2010, he embarked on a cross-country walk from his home in San Diego, with a goal of arriving at Ground Zero a year later.

Since succeeding in that goal, LoBue, 69, has spent the last five months living with relatives in Allentown and recovering from injuries suffered during the cross-country walk.

In his new mission, LoBue’s planned March 11 arrival in New York will coincide with the transfer of the 9/11 Memorial Flag, which is currently housed at the Allentown armory, but will ultimately have a permanent home at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Tony the Vet will pick up his walk in Bethlehem this morning, starting at City Hall and walking east. He plans to arrive in Easton on Monday.