 |
WHO: Ronald C.J. Zaleski, ronzaleski@gmail.com age 55, of Flanders, NY, a former marine
(1970-72), and former owner of Peconic Health and Racquet in Flanders, NY
WHAT: An attempt to be the first person to walk the 2,174 mile Appalachian Trail barefoot,
WHERE: The Appalachian Trail, beginning in Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia, covering 14 states and 2,174 miles
WHEN: Starting Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2006 until compeltion.
WHY: Having sold his fitness business, Ronald Zaleski is taking five and a half months off to walk the
Appalachian Trail barefoot to call attention to the need for a mandatory counseling and debriefing
program for returning troops. Counseling is available but it is not mandatory and often carries a
stigma. A mandatory program with extensive workshops would insure that all troops could have an
opportunity to heal. Many keep their experience to themselves and suffer silently.
BACKGROUND:
News About Veterans Returning Home Today
(excerpt from “When Warriors Come Home” by Bob Herbert, The New York Times, May 4, 2006)
A report published in March in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that more than a third of the troops who served in Iraq sought help for mental health problems within a year of returning home. The high percentage is deceptive however. The report said it is likely that “there are still considerable barriers to care.” It referred to a prior study that showed that more than 60 percent of the Iraq veterans who screen positively for generalized anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder have not sought treatment.
About Ronald C.J. Zaleski
Being a marine during the Vietnam War was a life altering time for Ronald Zaleski. He was drafted in 1970 and was one of the fortunate ones -- stationed in the U.S. for two years. Yet with the loss of many of his friends during the war, his feelings of survivor guilt were profound and remain so today. After his release, he decided to offer a silent memorial to his buddies who were killed by talking an oath to walk barefoot. He has remained silent about this unusual oath for more than 33 years since he left the armed services. Last year, prompted by a child who asked why he was not wearing shoes, he decided that he could be silent no longer. While he could not help his buddies who died in the Vietnam War, he could at least help those troops returning home now. Pained by news reports of troubled vets with little or no debriefing and counseling opportunities and concerned that there is a stigma for men to ask for help, he is calling for mandatory emotional support for vets and offering suggestions for immediate solutions. He hopes that his barefoot walk along the Appalachian Trail will call attention to the plight of many vets who need counseling but are unable or unwilling to ask for it, and:
1. Provide mandatory grieving for all Military Personel before they get out of boot camp (like the Police and Fire men get so they know what to expect when they lose a partner in action).
2. Provide two weeks mandatory Debriefing for all Military personel prior to disscharge (to give them tools to help them cope and deal with stress).
3. Make support groups available after discharge (so they have someone to talk to that can relate to what they have been through).
About the Appalachian National Scenic Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,174-mile footpath along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in northern Georgia. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) is used by day, weekend and other short-term hikers, section-hikers and thru-hikers. Thru-hikers hike the entire length of the Trail in one season.
|
