If you remember nothing else from this story, I want you to remember this: Every day, 22 U.S. military veterans commit suicide. That’s almost one every hour. Since 1999, 128,480 veterans have committed suicide. And thanks to the press — national and local, TV, radio and newspapers — more and more Americans are becoming aware […]
If you remember nothing else from this story, I want you to remember this: Every day, 22 U.S. military veterans commit suicide. That’s almost one every hour.
Since 1999, 128,480 veterans have committed suicide.
And thanks to the press — national and local, TV, radio and newspapers — more and more Americans are becoming aware of this sad and sobering statistic, and have played a role to do something about it.
“We can’t thank the news organizations enough who have stepped up to help,” says Troy Yocum, founder and president of Active Heroes. “But we still need their help in getting the message out.”
I first wrote about Captain Justin Fitch and Active Heroes in September 2014 because of a friend and colleague, Anne Adkins, retired VP of marketing at Raycom Media.
Anne, whose son, Specialist Matthew T. Bolar, died in combat in Iraq in 2007, now serves on the board of Active Heroes.
She alerted me to the story of Captain Justin Fitch, a combat veteran who served in Iraq.
Fitch nearly committed suicide in 2007, but the spirit of a buddy saved him.
So Fitch, 32 and dying from cancer, took on a final mission.
“To do everything in my power to reduce the number of veteran suicides by any means I see myself capable of doing so. It is my dream to see the Active Heroes’ veteran and family retreat finished and built before I die.”
Fitch and Active Heroes are trying to prevent any more veterans from committing suicide. And to that end, they are building a 144-acre retreat for veterans in Kentucky. Land has been purchased and cleared and some roads and buildings are built, but they’re a long way from achieving their goal.
But whatever progress they’ve made creating awareness about the plight of U.S. veterans and in building the retreat, they credit the press coverage they received as an integral part of the mission.
“We have raised enough money to build some roads and two cabins in the last couple weeks,” says Yocum.
He says Active Heroes has raised just about $300,000 toward their goal of $4 million to finish the retreat.
“Justin is ecstatic, but we feel like we have a long way to go.”
Yocum has traveled to Wisconsin to be with Fitch, “because I’m not sure he can keep going.”
To find out more about Active Heroes, click here.
Here are just a few TV stories from around the country about Fitch, Yocum and their mission at Active Heroes.
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