Wearing a 22-pound backpack, heavy boots and sometimes carrying his 2-year-old daughter, U.S. Army veteran Jason Weaver honored the anniversary of 9/11 and walked 9.11 miles Saturday while raising more than $2,000 for a veterans support organization.
Weaver, who walked with a small group, started at the French King Bowling Center in Erving at 10 a.m. He set up this “ruck,” which is the act of walking with weight, as a fundraiser for Mission 22, an organization that provides veterans with mental health services.
Mission 22’s name is derived from the statistic that 22 veterans take their own lives every day, a rate that has been increasing.
Weaver, a Northfield resident, served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004.
Cars and trucks honked their horns and waved to Weaver, who was carrying American and Mission 22 flags, and his group along Route 2 and the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge. Some folks stood on sidewalks along the way giving well wishes, and the managers from the Mobil gas station came outside and gave the group bottles of water.
“It’s been amazing,” Weaver said as he walked past the Wagon Wheel restaurant. “They take the time out of their day. It’s very emotional.”
He joked that he didn’t feel the backpack, but the boots he wore gave him a nasty blister on his left foot.
“I’ve done worse,” Weaver said. “I’m waiting to see how I feel after.”
Weaver and company made it to the halfway point at The Country Creemee in Turners Falls shortly after 11 a.m. before immediately turning around and heading back toward the bridge.
Weaver had hoped to raise $2,000, but that goal was easily obtainable after one car stopped next to the group and dropped off a $1,000 check. He added that other people handed them $100 donations, too. Last week, he said he had already raised $685 and had left donation jars with several area businesses.
“We probably exceeded what I’m looking for,” he said as he stepped back onto the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge, “and I’m only half-way.”
Eric Wasileski, a veteran, heard about Weaver’s walk and volunteered to join him on the route.
“I saw a veteran extending the effort,” Wasileski said, “and I wanted to make sure he’s not alone.”
Weaver said 9/11’s anniversary, which inspired many people to join the military, is always a difficult time for veterans.
“Lots of veterans are struggling this time of year,” Weaver said. “I’m trying to keep the bond and brotherhood.”
Wasileski said he often attends charity walks, such as cancer benefits, but he said this one struck a deeper chord within him as many veterans are struggling with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“(Walking) is a thing that helps me cope. I hear about walks and I go to them,” Wasileski said. “My heart is broken. … I responded to the call.”
Weaver said these walks show that he and other veterans are not isolated, even if it might feel that way because of post-traumatic stress disorder or anxieties related to serving.
“It’s allowed me to get outside of my head,” he said, “When you’re out here on the road and people are beeping, you feel the support.”
Mission 22 issued a challenge for people to ruck, walk or bike 48 miles in September, but Weaver is raising the bar. He added Saturday’s 9.11 miles and is planning on rucking an additional 13 miles later in the month to honor the 13 U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul in late August. In all, he will have rucked a total of 70.11 miles for the month.
He is hoping to become an ambassador for Mission 22 so he can host even larger events that raise more money.
“I’m extremely thankful for the community,” Weaver said. “I look forward to hosting more veterans and having more events.”
Those interested in donating to Mission 22 can do so online at bit.ly/3yZMjp8, or by contacting him at 413-325-4637 or frontlinetofatherhood@gmail.com.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.