LAKE KATRINE – It was a not a simple stroll veterans set out upon Sunday from Tech City.
Instead, it was a 55-mile walk to Albany called “Walk a Mile In My Shoes” to bring attention to the problems veterans are coping with including suicide, sexual trauma, mental illness, and homelessness.
The walk was organized by the Hudson Valley Center for Veteran Reintegration Peer Support Program, and before it started shortly after noon, they thanked everyone for their support, fellow vets, family members, and their friends, and reminded those attending that an average of 22 veterans are taking their lives every day.
“Every mile we walk and every step we take,” said Gavin Walters, board member of Vet2vet of Ulster County and the organization’s program manager, “ is to prevent those numbers.”
About 15 vets, including Walters, will be walking along the west side of the Hudson River and trekking through Saugerties, Catskill, and Athens before their expected arrival time in Albany late Monday morning.
“Now more than ever,” said Congressman Antonio Delgado, “we need to stand with them.”
Delgado addressed the gathering as A.J. McDowell, a veteran, looked on. McDowell, of Saugerties, drove one of the support vehicles used to help the group on its expected journey of less than 24 hours. “I’m trying to help,” said McDowell.
