Michael Quick has never been to Vietnam.

But on Tuesday, the 55-year-old retired railroad worker will board a plane in Charleston for the first leg of a two-month walk across the Southeast Asian country.

The journey, known as the Orange Walk, is designed to call attention to the plight of Vietnamese children born with birth defects caused by the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Not a man quick to champion causes, Quick became involved in the Orange Walk after striking up an Internet friendship with Bernie Duff, a former military medic who came up with the idea for the Orange Walk.

"Once I realized what we could do, I decided I couldn't turn this one loose," Quick said from his home in Nemours, near Bluefield. "I've never been a joiner of any kind, but I thought this was extremely important."

Duff, known by the ubiquitous nickname "Doc," was stationed in Phu Tai, Vietnam, in 1969 and 1970. Since 2006, he has lived and volunteered in Vietnam, where with his fiancée, Bui Thi Bao Anh, he has worked on projects to help Vietnamese children.

During their travels, the pair frequently came upon children with birth defects believed to be the result of exposure to Agent Orange. The chemical defoliant was sprayed widely over Vietnam during the war, and has been linked to major health problems.

Duff wanted to do something to help affected children. He met Quick and others through the Internet, and together they set up the Orange Walk to raise money and awareness.

Michael Quick has never been to Vietnam.

But on Tuesday, the 55-year-old retired railroad worker will board a plane in Charleston for the first leg of a two-month walk across the Southeast Asian country.

The journey, known as the Orange Walk, is designed to call attention to the plight of Vietnamese children born with birth defects caused by the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Not a man quick to champion causes, Quick became involved in the Orange Walk after striking up an Internet friendship with Bernie Duff, a former military medic who came up with the idea for the Orange Walk.

"Once I realized what we could do, I decided I couldn't turn this one loose," Quick said from his home in Nemours, near Bluefield. "I've never been a joiner of any kind, but I thought this was extremely important."

Duff, known by the ubiquitous nickname "Doc," was stationed in Phu Tai, Vietnam, in 1969 and 1970. Since 2006, he has lived and volunteered in Vietnam, where with his fiancée, Bui Thi Bao Anh, he has worked on projects to help Vietnamese children.

During their travels, the pair frequently came upon children with birth defects believed to be the result of exposure to Agent Orange. The chemical defoliant was sprayed widely over Vietnam during the war, and has been linked to major health problems.

Duff wanted to do something to help affected children. He met Quick and others through the Internet, and together they set up the Orange Walk to raise money and awareness.

Quick just missed the final draft call for the conflict. But through his contact with Duff, he decided to go to the country to see if he could help.

A core group of seven or eight walkers plans to leave Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) on Saturday and arrive in Hanoi - about 1,000 miles away - sometime in June. Along the way, they will visit local villages, distribute aid and record their progress. Quick said 100 percent of money raised and items donated will go directly to victims of Agent Orange.

"Every person [in the group] has something special they can give," Quick said. Bob Schuessler, a businessman from Chicago, has been instrumental in finding funding for the group. Karla Foss-Reilly, an artist from Alabama, visits Vietnam frequently to raise money for the disadvantaged in the country. Jo Simpson, a retired nurse, has a cousin who served in Vietnam who suffers from Agent Orange poisoning.

It will be Quick's job to record the journey through photographs and a weekly Internet blog, as the official photographer and computer guru for the trek. "I'm just a poor, old hillbilly who likes to take pictures," he said.

The walkers will pay their own ways to make the trip. "I started out with a budget of $5,000, and I went over that pretty fast," Quick said.

But he added, "It's not about the money. This is something I really think needs to be done."

For more information about the group and their journey, visit www.orangecarers.com.

To contact staff writer Rusty Marks, use e-mail or call 348-1215.