Veteran Suicides Awareness March Coming To Brick In September

BRICK, NJ — A local group working to bring awareness to the issues of veterans' suicides will be marching in Brick in September, an event called Operation Ruck It.

The Brick Township Council approved a permit for the organization, Ma Deuce Deuce, to hold the event in Brick at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8867 on Adamston Road last week.

Ma Deuce Deuce, also referred to as MA22, formed in September 2016 to help bring attention to the issue and create connections for local veterans who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their military service. The "22" represents the 22 suicides that occur daily among veterans.

The group was founded by a trio of U.S. Marine Corps veterans from Toms River who struggled with PTSD until they participated in Operation Restored Warrior, a program that brings veterans to a weeklong retreat where they can begin to address the emotional pain issues that stem from having been in combat.

One of the founders, Dennis Addesso, shared his experience with Lavallette-Seaside Shorebeat. You can read that here.

Operation Ruck It, which was held for the first time in 2017, seeks to raise funds for Operation Restored Warrior. The 22-kilometer walk that starts and ends at VFW on Adamston Road is set for Sept. 22.

You can read more about Operation Restored Warrior here. A local organization, Warriors for Warriors, holds a shark fishing tournament and fundraising dinner to help support Operation Restored Warrior and Warriors for Warriors has since paired with Ma Deuce Deuce to increase the reach and impact.

Ma Deuce Deuce last year also partnered with Warhorse SCUBA, another program that aims to assist veterans, according to Shorebeat.

Though some in attendance at the council meeting suggested Ma Deuce Deuce stands for something vulgar, the only references even remotely similar show a military connection: Ma Deuce, in military parlance, is a reference to the M2, a .50-caliber machine gun that is one of the oldest and most lethal weapons used by the U.S. military, according to Defense News.

Addesso, in an email to Patch, said it is the M2 reference that Ma Deuce Deuce drew its name from.

"We took that name and incorporated it with the 22 a day, hence Ma Deuce Deuce or MA22," Addesso said.

They had 185 participants last year and are hoping for 300 this year, he said. A ruck, by the way, is a military hike, usually performed with full gear. Read more here.

"This year's ruck march is going to be bigger and better," Addesso said. "A 22-kilometer march down the Jersey Shore then an afterparty at VFW Post 8867 in Brick. It's $22 to join and we will have shirts available for purchase." There will be raffles, and prizes for those who raise the most for the cause.

Ma Deuce Deuce has connected with several organizations to help put veterans in touch with assistance, from Warhorse SCUBA, to therapeutic horseback riding, to fishing and kayaking organizations, to service dogs.

"And of course Operation Restored Warrior, the faith-based five-day program that turned it around for all of us," he said.

Addesso has spoken publicly about his experience with Operation Restored Warrior. You can check that out below. If you would like to get involved with Operation Ruck It, follow the Facebook event page here or check out the main Ma Deuce Deuce Facebook page here.

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Note: This article has been updated to correct that Addesso is one of three founders of the group and to update information that the march will be held in Brick.

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