Thirty-two-year-old Army Capt. Justin Fitch has served two tours of duty in Iraq and has been the commander of the Human Research and Development detachment at the Natick Labs since 2012. He knows all too well the injuries some soldiers return home with - especially those injuries that are invisible.
"The general public probably just isn't really aware that 22 veterans are killing themselves everyday," Capt. Fitch said.
He says that means roughly 8,000 veterans are taking their lives every year - about as many as have been killed in combat during the 11-year-long War on Terror.
"I had seriously considered ending my life," said Capt. Fitch, "It's not comfortable to say that, but I do it for a reason because people need to talk about these things."
Capt. Fitch says people need to understand depression and suicidal thoughts are not war wounds that can just be bandaged and forgotten.
"Someone has this giant demon on their shoulder telling them that the only way out of this is to kill themselves, they've got to battle every single day against that demon, and every single day that person doesn't commit suicide is a victory," he said.
Capt. Fitch says it only takes one lost battle to lose the war, so he's joined with an organization called Carry the Fallen, and he's using ruck marches to raise money to complete a 144-acre retreat in Kentucky where veterans and their families can go for a multi-faceted approach to treatment.
"They can go camping, they can go hiking, stay in a cabin," he said.
They're also working on providing counseling, advice on pursuing an education or getting a job.
"I know for a fact it's already saved lives," Capt. Fitch said.
So far, $330,000 has been raised to purchase and prepare the land, but the goal is about $4-5 million. And as Captain Fitch and his crew Team Minuteman continue to ruck march to raise money, he is fighting his own battle.
"I have terminal cancer, life expectancy is spoken of in terms of months, my final mission and my dream is to see this retreat in Kentucky built," he said.
He says he hopes to reduce that number of 22 veteran suicides a day to zero. If you would like to learn more about his mission, the Kentucky retreat, or about the organization he's working with visit, click here.
If you would like to learn how to donate to Captain Fitch's ruck march crew Team Minuteman visit, click here.
