By C1 Staff
JEWETT CITY, Conn. — An Army veteran who now works for the Department of Corrections wanted to do something different this veteran’s day to honor the sacrifice made by so many.
According to the Norwich Bulletin, roughly 22 veterans die each day by suicide. Pete Violette organized a walk to bring awareness to veteran suicide, but rather than walking just 22 miles, they went one more.
And they did it with 23 pounds of weight on their backs.
“So many times, we want to just say ‘well, the government will come up with a program to help them out,” Violette said. “But really, it comes down to knowing somebody’s having an issue and letting them know we’re there for them. It’s something we can all do on a personal level.”
He reached out to fellow corrections officers at Niantic’s York Correctional Institution, and the event took off from there. Those he contacted were also military veterans.
“We’re just trying to get the word out,” Russell Hanes, a military veteran and corrections officer, said. “The resources are there for veterans, for families, for friends. The VA has the hotline. You can text, you can email; it’s an 800 numbers that’s 24/7, 365 days a year.”
In the end, 20 participants settled backpacks filled with water bottles, boots and weights on their backs and took off on the 7 to 8-hour hike.