A decade ago, Greg Washington almost became a statistic. Now, he’s on a 1,700-mile walk to end veteran suicide.
“I was transitioning out of the military, and I was having a rough time,” said Washington, who stopped in Augusta June 17 on his Walk To Honor and met with veterans at Forces United on Greene Street. “I’d lost my purpose.”
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The 2005 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, was grappling with depression and survivor’s guilt. He’d been injured while serving in the Middle East, and his two battle buddies, Emily Perez and Scottie Pace, were killed in action. His mother had recently been diagnosed with cancer. His world seemed to be crashing in on all sides.
“I felt numb,” he said.
Washington had a gun and would’ve pulled the trigger if his cousin hadn’t randomly called to ask him to go window shopping at Walmart.
He calls her his angel because that one call got him to refocus his thinking and pulled him out of the situation.
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Since 2001, more than 114,000 veterans have committed suicide, according to the Stop Soldier Suicide organization’s website. It’s the second leading cause of death among post-9/11 veterans. That’s more than all of the American service members who died in the Vietnam War. More than 58,000 service members died in the war, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the non-profit organization, which funded the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Washington is on a mission to let veterans know suicide isn’t the answer and that their lives have meaning.
His walk also honors the memory of Perez and Pace.
“I believe a person dies twice — when their physical body dies and then the last time their name is spoken,” he said.
So, he speaks their names and keeps their memory alive.
Washington started the walk in Mississippi the weekend before his birthday, May 2. Augusta marked about 450 miles into the walk. He will walk up the East Coast with an ultimate goal of ending at West Point on Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Joining him on his walk are his 14-year-old son and his father, who drives the support vehicle.
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Follow his journey on Facebook at facebook.com/gregcwashington2 and on Instagram @gregcwashington. Washington has a podcast. Find out more at his website gregcwashington.com.
Forces United is an Augusta-based organization that has provided services to more than 19,000 veterans since 2007. Learn more at forcesunited.org.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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