Gerald Baldwin
Gerald Baldwin
Gerald Baldwin is a disabled American veteran who made headlines when police officers found him walking and hitchhiking to a doctor appointment that was over a hundred miles away. [1][6]
Viral Story
Alabama police officers spotted Gerald with an oxygen tank, trying to walk and hitchhike over 100 miles from the Jasper area to Huntsville. He was going to drastic measures to keep his V.A. benefits. Deputies eventually got him to the hospital, but they had to transfer him at various county lines. He finished the last leg of the trip with a Madison County deputy in Huntsville. Gerald reportedly stayed overnight at the hospital and was escorted home.[2]
On his experience, Baldwin stated,
“I've never spent too much time in the back of a cruiser.
I really didn't belong there.
I was grateful, really grateful."
Once he made it home, Baldwin said,
"I completed my goal.
I made my appointment and I made it home safe.
And I'm thankful for that."
"In an unforeseen turn of events, the man's son saw the post and recognized the disabled vet as his father who he had not seen or talked to in several years.
Hopefully they can reconnect!"
The Walker County Sheriff's Department is planning to raise funds to buy Gerald a vehicle of his own.[7]
Personal Life
Gerald Baldwin is a disabled United States Army veteran who has toured in Kuwait and Iraq. Baldwin has over two decades of military experience, serving his country for 22 years.[7]
Gerald has a son named Lance who has been living in Pennsylvania with a wife and two kids. He served time in the military and has worked in the cable business. Prior to reading the Facebook post that was shared over 100,000 times, Gerald and Lance weren't on speaking terms. Lance spoke to interviewers about their relationship, revealing that they had bad blood and the last time they saw each other was when Gerald was undergoing cancer surgery. Lance told interviewers: [2][5]
"I’ve read that post probably a dozen times over and over again.
I still can’t believe that they went as far as they did to get him to where he needed to be, then to do it again in reverse to take him back home."
Lance finished the interview saying: [4]
"He’s a tough old man…He’s always been my Superman. Even more now, after seeing that post and seeing him, I will probably do that here this weekend, is reach out to him"