Two Men Launch 500 Mile Run to Raise Awareness of Veteran Suicides

They call the 500-mile run for veterans, "Mission 22."

The statistics regarding veterans committing suicide are staggering. The latest stats are from 2017 that show 17 veterans take their life each day which translates into 6,200 suicide deaths per year.

This is the reason why two men from Massachusetts are on a mission to raise money and awareness to stop the Veteran suicide epidemic according to wfsb.com. The mission kicked off from the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Veterans Day, November 11and reached Wallingford on Wednesday evening, November 13 where they spent the night.

Taking on the 500-mile journey are a pair of Ultra-runners, Joshua Milich and Brian Tjersland. The ultimate goal is to reach Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia by November 22. They are only stopping to eat and sleep.

Why do some combat veterans make the decision to attempt suicide? According to a study by the Military Suicide Research Consortium, all 72 soldiers who participated in the study mentioned a desire to end intense emotional distress. Another common reason included the urge to end chronic sadness. Most of us can't even begin to imagine what horrific things our vets witnessed.

If you'd like to help these two runners raise awareness of veteran suicides, please click on mission22.networkforgood.com.