Six Military Vets Walk 1,000 Miles Together for Heartfelt Cause
Six military veterans from the United States and the United Kingdom teamed up to advocate for a cause close to their hearts.
The team, made up of Cpl. Frankie Perez, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adele Loar, U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Larry Hinkle, Royal Logistics Corps veteran Kev Carr, Royal Signals veteran Kemsley Whittlesea and Royal Anglian veteran Jonny Burns, walked 1,000 miles across the U.S. together this summer to raise awareness for the mental health issues that plague military veterans.
It was a walk that Perez almost didn’t live to see, after trying to take his life in 2008.
Perez, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, joined the Army in 2001 as a member of the Puerto Rico National Guard.
He spent over a decade suffering from depression and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.
“I was dead for over 30 hours in a VA hospital,” Perez told Fox News. “And I’m back from that darkness and (now) I am willing to share some of this with others so they know that it doesn’t matter how dark your day might be, you can make it happen.”
The six veterans represented Walking With The Wounded, a nonprofit organization aimed at easing the most vulnerable of military veterans back into a healthy life.
“It’s a dream (to do this),” Perez said. “(As) a veteran who has been struggling with this condition for a while – since 2004 – it is amazing to see and be part of the change in mental health for veterans and their families.”
The walk began on June 2 in Los Angeles and ended in New York City on Sept. 6.
Along the way, the six stopped in various communities to share their stories of struggle and heartache, explaining to veterans and their families that you don’t have to suffer in silence.
On their final day, the six were joined by former Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, representatives of the Biden Foundation.
“It takes courage to come out and say, ‘Look, I’m battling internally, emotional problems with having to deal with what I went through,” the former vice president said.
“Every city they went into, you can be certain as they walked, there was a wounded warrior who was thinking, ‘if they can do this, let the whole world see it, maybe I should say I need help. I need help with my demons,” he said.
The six have been applauded for their bravery in coming forward with their stories, and hope they will inspire others to begin their own journey of healing.
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