LAWRENCE, Ind. (WISH) — An Indiana Gulf War veteran on Thursday said a special American Legion challenge shows there is nothing Americans can’t do as a team.

Ron Patterson served in the 82nd Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm and is now the commander of the Indiana Department of the American Legion. For the past few months, he has been marching toward a total of 250 miles while wearing the infantry backpack he carried in the Army, adding weight each time. He said it’s his contribution to the American Legion’s national USA 250 Challenge.

“The thing I dreaded the most (when I was in the military) was the ruck march,” he said. “There’...