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THE LONG WALK - VFP MEMBER CALLS ATTENTION TO MILITARY SUICIDES
By: George Grider, Coordinator, VFP Chapter 149
On June 1, 2010, Ron Zaleski and his partner Valeria Moran departed Boston on a walk across America. They were setting out to dramatize the high suicide rate among GI’s and veterans. Its specific goal to is collect one million signatures calling upon the Obama administration to institute counseling for GI’s when they enter and leave the service.
Ron wears a sandwich board sign that says “14 GI’s a Day Committ Suicide.” It’s impossible to miss. Being a member of Veterans for Peace Chapter 14, Ron contacted the VFP Chapter 149 in Memphis TN. He wondered if we could provide a place for him to park his support camper while he was passing through town. He wondered if he might use our tub to soak his feet. Did I mention that Ron’s 3000 mile walk is being made entirely on bare feet? We were thrilled to offer our full support during the two days needed to traverse the city of Memphis, covering about ten miles per day. On the morning of October 13, he crossed the Memphis-Arkansas bridge in the dark while 18 wheelers rumbled by.
The next day Ron returned to Memphis (by support vehicle) to meet with Congressman Phil Roe of Tennessee’s 1st district. In the lobby of the famed Peabody Hotel at 7;30 a.m. Mr. Roe became the first Member of Congress to sign the petition. They’d met Mr. Roe while crossing through his district in Johnson City, TN. There he promised to study their petition and link up with them in Memphis. Thanks, Congressman, for coming through for the vets.
On November 4, Ron and Valeria reached the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line, thereby reaching the journey’s half way mark. They will end their walk in Santa Monida, CA
For more information, go to TheLongWalkHome.org. Please sign Ron’s petition.
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