Preventing Veterans’ Suicide The Aim Of Warriors Walk

Every day 22 veterans/active service members commit suicide. More and more service members are returning back home with PTSD, tinnitus, missing limbs, traumatic brain injuries and more. Many are simply not finding their place in their old lives. As many vets have put it, they have “lost their purpose.”

Sponsored by New Lenox VFW Post 9545, the fourth annual Warriors Walk fundraiser, “22 Too Many”, will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at New Lenox Commons, 1 Veterans Parkway. Registration will begin at 8 a.m.

Ryan Brazel, a 21-year U.S. Navy veteran from Post 9545, started the Warriors Walk in 2019 to help raise awareness of the 22 veterans/active service members who commit suicide each day. The Warriors Walk also raises money for Headstrong Project, a not-for-profit mental health organization that helps veterans, service members, and their families. Over $55,000 has been raised and donated to the Headstrong Project, getheadstrong.org.

The fundraiser has become a movement in the Lincoln-Way area, and last year VFW members wanted to create flyers and T-shirts. However, Brazel said none of the members were savvy with graphic design. So he reached out to Lincoln-Way High School art teacher Phil Labriola, who encouraged his students to use their talents and imagination to design flyers and shirts for the Warriors Walk. Two designs were picked from 10 student entries that first year and the most recent contest garnered two designs chosen from 22 entries.

Lincoln-Way West art students freshman Anahi Alvarado designed the flyers and sophomore Mali Riordan designed the shirts. Their designs will be sold for the Warriors Walk. The students were also awarded a poster-size image of the flyer and a T-shirt as well as a $250 Visa gift card from VFW Post 9545.

Brazel visited with the design contestants, telling them about the issues today’s veterans face. “When people think of veterans they think of old men with funny hats,” Brazel said. “Like those older veterans, especially those from the Vietnam war that had much less public support, today’s veterans, who get out after only four years, are only out of high school for four years and sometimes less. They look just like the students who walk the halls (of the Lincoln Way schools).”

Brazel told students of the sudden loss of local Army Veteran Specialist James Bartz, who recently “lost his battle with his demons” and committed suicide at 20. Brazel applauded the art students for their skills and imagination and thanked them for being part of the solution at such a young age.

The Warriors Walk T-shirts will be made in the U.S.A. by ACAL clothing, a proud supporter of and operated by U.S. veterans, and sold after July 1 at the VFW Post 9545 Friday Fish Frys and other Post events.

This year’s Warriors Walk on Sept. 9 will feature Nancy Caddigan of 98.3-FM WCCQ singing the national anthem while VFW Post 9545’s Color Guard posts the colors. Speakers are New Lenox Mayor Tim Balderman and Post Commander Clark Christianson. Then participants can walk the distance they wish, with a 20-mile maximum, from the commons along Old Plank Road Trail east just past Pfeiffer where the turnaround point is for those walking the 20 miles.

The Warriors Walk after event starts at 1 p.m. also at the New Lenox Commons and will have refreshments for sale from local food vendors and includes live music by U.S. Army Veteran David Allen Stone with his song “Bury These Burdens” and New Lenox performer Kendal Colette, and others.

The Warriors Walk is seeking businesses to sponsor water stations, event tables, and swag.

We are also encouraging walkers to download the registration form and fill it out and bring it to the walk for registration. Thank you all.

Sponsorship Packages https://drive.google.com/file/...

Sponsorship Form https://drive.google.com/file/...

Walker Registration Formhttps://drive.google.com/file/...

More information is at ryan@vfwpost9545.org and 815-485-8369.