According to CNN, 22 veterans commit suicide every day. This may be because they have difficulty adjusting to life after service or because they cannot find the resources they need to help them with their transition. Whatever the case may be, the number is staggering, but a group of community college students from Greenville, North Carolina, banded together to raise awareness to this statistic.
Students from Pitt Community College walked 2.2 miles across their campus on Sept. 22. The date and the distance were meant to represent those 22 veterans who take their lives.
"We have a major issue here," Chris Hall, PCC student and veteran, told WNCT-9 News. "It's like an epidemic of suicide and many people just assume when veterans come home that they're just serious and they don't need help because they've been strong their entire careers. People just don't pay attention to the signs and there's not enough awareness that veterans actually do feel."
The school's counselors were available during the walk for veterans or civilians who felt the need to talk. WNCT-9 News reported that PCC's walk was part of a national campaign to raise awareness on veteran suicide.