A Michigan veteran completed a cross-country walk in a mission to raise awareness for veteran suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/p>\n
Fruitport native Marty Wills trekked 1,000 miles to Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. He began the two-month journey in Muskegon on Memorial Day. Wills carried with him an American flag and a 50-pound pack containing a Purple Heart medal honoring his friend\u2019s brother.<\/p>\n
He used the walk to collect over $22,000 in donations for 22 Kill, a veterans organization that supports and raises awareness for former service members struggling with PTSD. The foundation\u2019s name reflects the commonly cited statistic of 22 veterans on average committing suicide every day after losing their battle with PTSD. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of work needs to be done to raise awareness,\u201d said Wills. \u201cMany civilians don\u2019t understand that you just can\u2019t leave a military lifestyle and fit right in to civilian life.\u201d He retired (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Michigan veteran completed a cross-country walk in a mission to raise awareness for veteran suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fruitport native Marty Wills trekked 1,000 miles to Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. He began…<\/span><\/p>\n