Annapolis Veterans Walk Will Bring Awareness To Service Member Suicide

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An Annapolis veterans walk will bring awareness to suicide in the military community on Friday.

Maryland is the 10th stop on the 22-state tour. Planners said this number pays respect to the average of 22 veterans who die by suicide every day.

In each city, most of which are in state capitals, participants will trek 2.2 miles. The circuit started on Feb. 2, 2022, and it will continue for 22 straight days.

Walk For Vets organized the events. Founder John Ring will lead the Annapolis hike. Attendees will gather at 9:30 a.m. and start at 10 a.m.

"The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, coupled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Military Sexual Trauma (MST), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), addiction, homelessness, and lack of essential benefits, has only exacerbated the epidemic of suicide among veterans and service members," Walk For Vets said in a press release. "While walking may not directly save a person’s life from suicide or the host of other painful scars that plague veterans and service members, it does give hope."

Ring's efforts began on Oct. 1, 2019 when he started the Buddy Watch Walk at Georgia's Tybee Island Pier. He then hiked 2,500 miles across the southern U.S.

Other veterans joined Ring along the way. Retired Master Sgt. Jimmy Matthews ended the walk with him on California's Santa Monica Pier on June 14, 2020.

Ring resumed his push on Oct. 1, 2020, launching a trek from Jackson, Mississippi to Tybee Island, Georgia. He also helped nonprofits along the way.

The veteran then founded Walk For Vets to help others plan their own treks. The organization similarly supported John Mumby in his roughly 300-mile hike from Winnsboro, Texas to the state capital of Austin.

"Countless veterans have reached out to Ring over the past two years, sharing their stories of grief and thanking him for his work," the release said. "This walk, like the many Ring has participated in, brings to the forefront what many choose to ignore or struggle to even comprehend."

The full Walk For Vets schedule is posted below:

• Feb. 2: Augusta, Maine
• Feb. 3: Montpelier, Vermont
• Feb. 4: Concord, New Hampshire
• Feb. 5: Albany, New York
• Feb. 6: Boston, Massachusetts
• Feb. 7: Providence, Rhode Island
• Feb. 8: Hartford, Connecticut
• Feb. 9: Trenton, New Jersey
• Feb. 10: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Independence Hall)
• Feb. 11: Annapolis, Maryland
• Feb. 12: Dover, Delaware
• Feb. 13: Richmond, Virginia
• Feb. 14: Raleigh, North Carolina
• Feb. 15: Columbia, South Carolina
• Feb. 16: Atlanta, Georgia
• Feb. 17: Tallahassee, Florida
• Feb. 18: Montgomery, Alabama
• Feb. 19: Nashville, Tennessee
• Feb. 20: Frankfort, Kentucky
• Feb. 21: Charleston, West Virginia
• Feb. 22: Columbus, Ohio
• Feb. 23: Indianapolis, Indiana

More information is available on walkforvets.org. Interested locals can contact John Ring by emailing walkforvetsorg@gmail.com or calling (912) 272-9347 to make plans with him while he's in town.

Residents can follow the group on:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Snapchat
• TikTok

There were 17.2 veteran suicides per day in 2019, a September 2021 report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said.

Anybody who needs mental health assistance can call 1-800-273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County news.