DIYPatriot
05-24-2016, 14:56
This past Sunday, I was honored/humbled to be part of something really awesome and wanted to share it with each of you. About a month and a half ago it started out as a simple idea that evolved into something way bigger than any of us ever imagined. We wanted to do something to raise awareness for the 22 veterans who take their life (on average) each day.
So, we decided to ruck 22km carrying 22kg for the "22" wearing nothing more than our silkies/pt shorts/ranger panties. At first, we thought it was only going to be a few of us and that quickly changed. By the time Sunday rolled around, we had almost signed up 300 veterans to march with us. Our route began at the Memphis Pyramid and followed the banks of the MS river. We took a left onto Beale Street and stopped at a few Veteran-friendly pubs and breweries along the way. We eased over to Union Avenue, picking up random civilians who genuinely wished to walk alongside us. Some were fresh out of church still wearing sandals and heels.
At the halfway point, my knuckles were sore from fist bumping dozens of strangers, including many, many children who stood along the sidewalks and saluted us. I must've high-fived at least 100 kids - that's not an exaggeration. Our goal was never about raising money, though we had several local sponsors. It was about raising awareness. However, we were stunned at the outpouring of random donations, so we decided to give all proceeds to the Gary Sinise Foundation. After all, this was for all branches and that foundation seemed very fitting.
I'm sharing this with you for a couple reasons. For starters, the odds are that each of us know someone or have known someone who is at risk. The love and compassion we have for each other is second to none. No one will ever truly know what it means to have been there if they never truly were, both in the literal and figurative sense of the phrase. Each of us has the awesome responsibility of looking out for our brothers and sisters and letting them look out for us.
For now, I'm posting some photos and inviting you to keep the "22" in your thoughts. Next year, we hope to add more veterans to our roster as it costs absolutely nothing to sign up and ruck. Our sponsors provide the water trucks, t-shirts, snacks and other gear. Our civilian friends and LEO/EMS units provide the aid stations, support and medical facilities, including road guards and escorts. The pubs cut us some big discounts and we even had some local bands play at a few stops along the way.
It is open to all branches, though it was mostly Army and USMC. Someone mentioned that there would be no air conditioning so that knocked out the USAF, though a few TACP buddies of mine did show up. Several units, both active and NG, were very well represented. We had so many guys (and a few gals including my wife) in attendance. Next year, we'll plan ahead and make this event better than what it was.
If just one life is saved or one heart is healed then we succeeded. I encourage any of you to make it to Memphis next April 22 (2017) for the next ruck. I'll update this thread with that info once we have it available. And if you can't make it to Memphis, but still want to help raise awareness then PM me and I'll help you coordinate an event or find one in your AO that you can support.
So, we decided to ruck 22km carrying 22kg for the "22" wearing nothing more than our silkies/pt shorts/ranger panties. At first, we thought it was only going to be a few of us and that quickly changed. By the time Sunday rolled around, we had almost signed up 300 veterans to march with us. Our route began at the Memphis Pyramid and followed the banks of the MS river. We took a left onto Beale Street and stopped at a few Veteran-friendly pubs and breweries along the way. We eased over to Union Avenue, picking up random civilians who genuinely wished to walk alongside us. Some were fresh out of church still wearing sandals and heels.
At the halfway point, my knuckles were sore from fist bumping dozens of strangers, including many, many children who stood along the sidewalks and saluted us. I must've high-fived at least 100 kids - that's not an exaggeration. Our goal was never about raising money, though we had several local sponsors. It was about raising awareness. However, we were stunned at the outpouring of random donations, so we decided to give all proceeds to the Gary Sinise Foundation. After all, this was for all branches and that foundation seemed very fitting.
I'm sharing this with you for a couple reasons. For starters, the odds are that each of us know someone or have known someone who is at risk. The love and compassion we have for each other is second to none. No one will ever truly know what it means to have been there if they never truly were, both in the literal and figurative sense of the phrase. Each of us has the awesome responsibility of looking out for our brothers and sisters and letting them look out for us.
For now, I'm posting some photos and inviting you to keep the "22" in your thoughts. Next year, we hope to add more veterans to our roster as it costs absolutely nothing to sign up and ruck. Our sponsors provide the water trucks, t-shirts, snacks and other gear. Our civilian friends and LEO/EMS units provide the aid stations, support and medical facilities, including road guards and escorts. The pubs cut us some big discounts and we even had some local bands play at a few stops along the way.
It is open to all branches, though it was mostly Army and USMC. Someone mentioned that there would be no air conditioning so that knocked out the USAF, though a few TACP buddies of mine did show up. Several units, both active and NG, were very well represented. We had so many guys (and a few gals including my wife) in attendance. Next year, we'll plan ahead and make this event better than what it was.
If just one life is saved or one heart is healed then we succeeded. I encourage any of you to make it to Memphis next April 22 (2017) for the next ruck. I'll update this thread with that info once we have it available. And if you can't make it to Memphis, but still want to help raise awareness then PM me and I'll help you coordinate an event or find one in your AO that you can support.