GLASGOW — Sunny skies greeted Cpl. Cory Smith as he rode his bicycle through Barren County on Sunday and Monday. Smith – he was in the middle of a run/ride from Columbus, Ga., to Indianapolis.

Smith left Georgia on Jan. 3, when he began his terminal leave from the Army Rangers. He was moving home to Indianapolis, to live near his daughter, Elleigh. While most people would pack a moving truck, hop in a car or board a plane, Smith, 28, decided to make the trip on his own two legs.

The goal of Smith’s ride is to raise awareness of the struggle many veterans have when readjusting to civilian life after their time in the military, especially after deployment. The idea for the journey began in the fall, after he and his wife separated following his second deployment, Smith said.

“It was rough,” said Smith, who was enlisted in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Ga. “My heart was empty, everything was empty.”

Smith’s pastor counseled him to find something he was strong at, Smith said. He had been completely focused on his wife and daughter when he had returned from overseas, and so once he was separated he had to refocus on himself.

“I totally lost track of who I was,” Smith said.

It was a dream that actually set Smith on the path of running home to Indianapolis. In his dream, he flew to the Indianapolis airport, but when his father said he’d pick him up, Smith told him he’d run home. Once he got the idea to run home to his daughter, Smith said he realized he could turn his run into a run with a cause.

“I thought, you know, this could really be beneficial to a lot of people,” Smith said.

A marital separation is nothing compared to what many combat veterans face, Smith said, and he wanted to use his run (which became a bike ride due to stress fractures in his foot) to bring attention to the many struggles veterans face when they try to have a normal life after returning from combat or leaving military service.

“Within five years of a combat tour, 90 percent of marriages end in divorce. And that’s something that’s hard,” Smith said.

Beyond marital problems, veterans struggle with many things, Smith said. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a very real problem with today’s veterans, and the disorder and its consequences are not always acknowledged. In 2010, more than 140,000 veterans under the age of 30 spent at least one night in a homeless shelter, according to Smith.

“What happened with me is nothing compared to a lot of people,” Smith said.

And so he rides. Smith wants those who have never thought twice about veterans’ issues to hear his story, and realize what is happening. He wants veterans who have lost hope to be inspired to keep going.

“Just keep your head up, don’t ever look down,” Smith said for his fellow veterans. “And if you do look down, find your buddy, whether it’s your Ranger buddy or your battle buddy, to carry you. ‘Cause you don’t have to do it alone.”

Smith has been helped along the way by GallantFew, a nonprofit veteran mentor organization that works to help veterans in their transition to civilian life. GallantFew provides veterans with a social  network, professional development, emotional support and physical assistance, according to its website. Smith spoke highly of everything GallantFew does for veterans.

Smith’s motto is “adapt and overcome,” and he is trying to show others how to do that through his ride.

“If you keep on pushing, keep on adapting and overcoming, you can eventually arrive to your goal, whether that goal is a daughter, employment or just a destination.”

Along the way, people have offered their homes, cooked meals for Smith and ridden beside him, he said. People have been very positive supporters of his trip and his message.

“Everybody I’ve met along the way has affected me in one way or the other,” Smith said. “It’s crazy. They’ve made an impact.”

Smith will be home in Indianapolis with Elleigh by Feb. 8, he said, but he will carry with him the experiences of the last month.

“When you’re going through a struggle, when you’re hurting, the best way to help yourself is to help someone else,” Smith said.