As The University of Alabama and Auburn University football programs prepare to meet on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, a group of student veterans from both universities will come together to trek across the state to bring awareness to veteran suicides.
Members of UA’s Campus Veterans Association will march alongside Auburn’s Student Veterans Association in the annual Operation Iron Ruck that will begin outside of Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn Nov. 27 and end in Tuscaloosa Nov. 30.
“Operation Iron Ruck was established in 2018 to raise awareness and funds to help combat the epidemic of veteran suicide,” said Blake Schickel, president of the UA Campus Veterans Association. “We’re hoping to increase the public knowledge of this ongoing struggle while also uniting veterans within the community with a support system they can lean on. It offers a personal level of support to those who participate as well as the potential to decompress and meet others who can relate to the struggles that veterans go through.”
During the four-day trip, each student veteran will hike around 50 miles. Student veterans from UA and Auburn will carry 22 pounds of donated materials to represent the estimated 22 veterans who die by suicide every day.
“In the most recent report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there were more than 6,000 veteran suicides in 2021,” said Schickel. “In the state of Alabama, we lost 125 veterans to suicide that year, one of the highest rates in the country.”
Monetary and material donations will be distributed to Three Hots and A Cot, Mission 22, the Bill Nichols State Veterans Home, Tuskegee VA Medical Center and the Houston Project.
“In the wise words of a platoon sergeant of mine, ‘credibility is currency,’” said Schickel. “The CVA seeks to further legitimize and spread our message through partnerships, endorsements and collaboration. Together, we can all make a difference and ensure no veteran feels left behind in their fight.”
For more information including the route, resources and ways to donate, visit the Operation Iron Ruck website.
Courtesy of The University of Alabama.
