The Long Walk Home . org

In 2010 I started out on a very unusual 3,400-mile journey across the country. I walked barefoot from Boston, MA, to Santa Monica, CA. The trip took 10 months, and as I walked I wore a sign that said "18 VETS A DAY COMMIT SUICIDE" to raise awareness about military Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Almost every day on this walk (from June of 2010 to March of this year), I met family members of vets who had committed suicide, and I cried with them as I shared their grief. I encountered many people who said they felt better knowing somebody cared. Mothers would make a U-turn in the road, get out of their car, and cry as they told me how they lost a loved one to suicide, after they had arrived home safely. They would invite me, a stranger, into their home to give me a donation and pray for me as I walked. I received media coverage in dozens and dozens of newspapers, radios, TV and the internet. The facts are overwhelming: 18 veterans a day in the U.S. commit suicide. 40 percent of the homeless are Veterans Drug and alcohol abuse, family disintegration, and incarceration are rampant among veterans. I spoke before the Committee for Veteran Affairs. This meeting was organized by Congressman Philip Roe. After going to D.C. I realized that I AM the government and it is time that I act so and I do that not by asking them, but telling them what I want by how I spend my time and money. I saw that just by asking I'm showing them it doesn't mean that much to me, but when I put my time and money behind it they listen. That is why we are now working on opening gyms to the public that will be free for veterans and all active duty military personnel, this is how I tell them what we want for our young men and women in the military. We have been doing fundraisers creating awareness and gaining support in the community, thank you for your help and hope to see you when we open the first gym. Sincerely Ronald Zaleski


The Long Walk Home

PROJECTS
We had our first sucessful fundraiser in Tavernier Florida April 5 th to help reach our goal to build gyms free for Veterans and will continue to work towards this goal till the first gym is opened. For more information or to volunteer call Ron at (305) 453-6789