A military mom is on her way to Washington, D.C. with a message for the troops. But Marcia Hawkins is ditching her car and the airport and lacing up her walking sneakers instead.

"I'm marching today to create a groundswell of gratitude and thanks to our military," Marcia said at a rally in South Deerfield.

Marcia is stepping up to support the troops. She says she got the idea to walk 400 miles after talking on the phone with her son, who's serving in Iraq.

"I told him, 'I would a walk a mile for you in a minute if I could'," she said.

An hour later, Marcia started planning "Walk a Mile for a Soldier." The walk finally kicked off Sunday with a rally at the South Deerfield Fire Department. Eight others are walking with Marcia and more people are welcome to join along the way to send the troops their appreciation. Marcia says that message has already reached some soldiers.

"I've been getting letters from soldiers all over the world that have read the story and I just get nothing but 'thank you, thank you'," she said.

The walk means a lot to local families who have lost loved ones. Allison Belanger's brother, Greg, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2003.

"Right before he left he said, 'It's my duty,' so I think it would just give him a sense of pride and accomplishment to see that people are behind the soldiers," Allison said.

The group will walk 20 to 30 miles a day on a pre-planned route until they reach the Vietnam Memorial. Not a small feat, but Marcia says it's the least they can do.

"With what our troops go through on a daily basis, this should be a piece of cake."