Hike promotes suicide awareness in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — About 50 people walked from Blue Heron Park through Moses Lake Saturday morning to bring attention to the toll taken by suicide, both among military veterans and personnel and the general public.

Hikers who went the distance walked 22 kilometers, in recognition of suicide statistics among military veterans, equivalent to 22 vets killing themselves per day. Organizers Aaron Molina and Carlos Avila are Marine Corps veterans, and they modeled the local hike on events held in other parts of the country.

“Going for a walk,” said Daniel Chism, Quincy.

Some of the hikers also carried 22 kilos – 48.5 pounds – as another way to call attention to the problem. That’s heavy. But Brian Jones, hiking with his wife Diana, said that’s not very heavy at all, comparatively. “They (veterans who are struggling) carry a lot more weight than that, every day.”

And besides, about 13.5 miles packing about 48 pounds is doable. “Heck, yeah,” said Frank Laguna, Mardon. He has had personal experience with the problem. “I’ve lost a few friends. I just came to remember them.”

“I’ve lost a lot of brothers and sisters to suicide,” said Jory Balderas, Moses Lake, a Marine Corps veteran. Paul Roland, 71 years of age, drove up from Kennewick to join his grandson, Tylor Burnett, on the hike. “Amazing cause,” Burnett said. “I’ve lost a couple friends to suicide.”

Military service and suicide are both personal issues to the family. “Several years back I lost a brother to suicide,” Roland said, and about 14 members of his family have served in the military.

In 2016 Chism, the chaplain at the Quincy VFW post, walked from Quincy to Rock Island in memory of a veteran from Wenatchee. Saturday he hiked for veterans who have committed suicide, he said, and for a friend who had a rough transition, and who died of natural causes. “I’ve got a passion for it, I guess.” Quincy to Rock Island was a long walk, but he got a lot of motivation from people honking as they drove by, he said.

The transition into a totally different kind of workforce – a totally different kind of life – can be tough, Chism said, and one problem can lead to another. There are resources out there to help veterans who are struggling.

There is a hotline for veterans who are contemplating suicide, 800-273-8255, and it’s also for family members and friends who are concerned about a veteran they know. Veterans in need of support can also tap into the networks of veterans in the community. The camaraderie built in the military can still be there after military service is done, Chism said.