After roughly eight months and 3,000 miles, former Army Ranger Rory Fanning completed his symbolic walking journey in honor of friend and fallen soldier Pat Tillman — the former Arizona Cardinals football player who gave up his sports career to serve his country in the period following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Fanning, who began his long journey from Virginia Beach, N.C. in September, ended his trek around 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 15 at the Ocean Beach Pier. Fanning, whose intent was to honor his slain comrade and raise $3.6 million for the Pat Tillman Foundation, said he originally planned to end his trek in Huntington Beach but apparently learned about the “… laid-back … unpretentious seaside town” of Ocean Beach. “I heard better things about OB,” said Fanning in between bites of his cheeseburger at the landmark Hodad’s restaurant in Ocean Beach on Friday. As Fanning reached the end of his cross-country route, board members from the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association, community members and local business owners greeted him with a complimentary Hodad’s burger and T-shirt along with local gift certificates. Fanning and Tillman served together in 2003 and 2004 in Afghanistan, where Tillman was killed in a friendly-fire incident. Fanning said he chose the fundraising goal of $3.6 million for the foundation because that is the amount Tillman gave up with his NFL contract to leave the Cardinals and to join the fight in Afghanistan. Fanning said he will continue to speak to diverse groups across the country about his war experiences, his memories of Tillman and the Pat Tillman Foundation. For more information on Fanning’s walk, visit http://walkforpat.org/. For more information on the Pat Tillman Foundation, visit http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/. — Compiled by Kevin McKay, Becca Lyn and Jim Grant