Inspired by Forrest Gump, Man Runs Across U.S., Fights in Vietnam, Gets Shot in Buttocks, Becomes Table Tennis Champ, Buys Fleet of Shrimping Boats

When Tom Wopat told friends 13 months ago that he intended to follow in Forrest Gump's footsteps by running across the United States and then shipping himself off to fight in Vietnam and getting shot in the rear and becoming a table-tennis champ and getting into the shrimping business, they called him crazy.

But last week the 32-year-old paralegal and longtime runner made good on his vow.

"I'm tired, but happy," Wopat told reporters by phone from Bayou La Batre, Alabama, where he'd just taken ownership of the James Best Shrimp Co.—a small company with a half-dozen shrimping boats and a harborside processing facility.

"Now that I have assumed control of this shrimping fleet, my yearlong quest is complete," he said.  "It's been a heck of an experience." 

“I learned that my dog had only faked his death, and had gone to live with my ex. It was difficult.”

The experience began back in January 2016, Wopat said, when his personal life took a turn for the worse.

"I'd just gone through a bad breakup, I lost my job, and my dog died," he said. "Then I learned that my dog had only faked his death, and had gone to live with my ex. It was a difficult time." 

Then, Wopat said, he sat down to watch TV, flipped through the channels, and stopped on Forrest Gump. It was, he says, "a light bulb moment."

"Suddenly," he said, "I thought that's it. That's what I'll do. I'll just start running and I'll run and run, all the way across the country."

"And then," he continued, "I'll go fight in Vietnam, get shot, become a master at table tennis, and wind up getting into the shrimping industry. Just like Forrest."

The cross-country run, said Wopat, was the easy part.

"Managing to find a firefight in Vietnam? In this day and age? That was tough," he said. "And convincing a stranger to shoot you in the buttocks is easier said than done. Especially when he doesn't speak English."

Wopat said he was already a capable table-tennis player, so honing those skills wasn't overly challenging. The shrimp business, however, proved a taller-than-expected hurdle.

"It's not as easy as you'd think," he said. "There's all this regulation, all these codes and fees and red tape. Not to mention the whole business of getting a loan from the bank."

"I think all the bandages on my ass made the loan officer sympathetic. Which helped."

Now that he's finished what he started, what's next for Wopat?

He paused.

"I'm pretty tired," he said. "I think I'll go home."