Veterans Awareness Ruck March

MALTA, Ohio – Government estimates suggest that 22 veterans die by suicide every day.

A local group affected by a veteran-friend’s suicide is taking action to spread awareness and advocate for veteran support by holding a Silent Watch over a casket at the Morgan County Courthouse Friday, to honor the fallen veterans.

“It’s a Silent Watch. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and it will be at our town square. It will have 22 frames of soldiers that have committed suicide and then behind it is 22 blank frames. It’s to represent the 22. We’ll also have a van there with people in there that deal with suicidal thoughts,” Event Organizer and Veteran David McGregor said.

VFW Post 4713 in Malta has provided much support for this event and members of the National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment will arrive on Saturday to participate in the 3-and-a-half-mile Ruck March.

“Early, 7 a.m. Saturday morning we’re right back here in Malta at the VFW to kick this off. We’d like for everybody to come early to register. Quick and easy and all it is is just… know how many people are coming and get a t-shirt and a bracelet for suicide prevention and join us,” Event Organizer and Veteran Bob Stout said.

For more information about this weekend’s events as well as links to resources that specialize in dealing with these issues can be found online.

Mental illness is the designation that’s often used as a blanket term to describe any number of conditions that affect a person’s: perception, mood, behavior and actions, which can be triggered by anything or combination of things the person considers to be stressful. Mental illness is also a label that generally draws a negative connotation and is treated as a taboo. Nationally, the number of conditions, such as PTSD, suicide and drug use are all on the rise and often ignored because they are categorized as a mental illness.