22 miles for 22 veterans

Gerald Kite remembers how cold the weather was when he and 80 other supporters left Middleton at 7 a.m. as part of the 22-mile walk to prevent military and veteran suicide he had organized with English River Outfitters to raise awareness.

With the goal of walking from Middleton National Guard Armory to the National Guard Armory in Mt. Pleasant, many of the walkers had bundled up against the cold. With many service veterans recalling their days of having to do forced marches as part of their training, they set out. As the sun began to come up on the trail, people were soon stripping off their outer layers as their body heat and the heat of the first day of autuum warmed them up.

'We walked about 3 miles an hour and we switched off the lead walker for a different person,” Kite said. 'That way we had 22 people walking the lead in the 22 miles for the 22 veterans who commit suicide on a daily basis.”

Using the number 22, for the 22 veterans who commit suicide daily, the group chose to the walk on the 22nd day of September. Kite said that September is Suicide Prevention Month.

The group was protected by safety vehicles during the hike down the busy highway. Along the way, Kite said many motorists drove by and gave a polite honk of their horn to the group marching along the side of the roadway. When the group stopped in New London for a break, people stopped to learn more about the walk from the participants. Kite said as the group was walking by with the American flag in the lead, one man came out of the front of his house and saluted the flag.

Kite organized the event after hearing in the news that 22 veterans committed suicide on a daily basis. As a former volunteer at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa City, he personally knew several people who have either attempted or committed suicide.

'I wanted to get the word out because people who are suicidal don't know there is help out there,” he said. 'They think no one is there who they can talk to.”

The group took a hike around the Mt. Pleasant Square before making the final leg of their trip to the armory. When the walk ended, 40 people had made it the entire 22 miles. The group traveled 22 miles in seven hours.

Kite promises the march will return next year. He said that he hopes to expand the march to Cedar Rapids and Des Moines as well.

'I think for a small area like this, 80 people is a lot,” he said. 'If we can get that many people here, we can get a lot more in those places.”