CONTACT: Dava Guerin, 443-493-0406 or Ron Zaleski, (305) 399-5354
U.S. MARINE WALKS ACROSS AMERICA TO PREVENT VETERAN SUICIDE
Ron Zaleski will walk from Key West Florida on September 11 to San Diego, California to help save veteran’s lives
VENICE, FL SEPT. 10—For U.S. Marine veteran, Ron Zaleski, 73, his mission is clear—to make sure no veteran dies by suicide on his watch. And by taking part in his suicide prevention and intervention programs. With an estimated twenty U.S. veterans that die by suicide every day, according to Zaleski that is a national tragedy that can be prevented. His goal is to create a movement that can affect change on a national level.
That is why on September 11 at 3:00 p.m. at the end of Highway One in Key West Florida, Zaleski will walk across the country for nine months—twelve miles each day—eventually concluding his 2,700 mile journey in San Diego, California. Along the way he will be joined by community leaders, veterans, and the general public. They will help him spread the word about the steps every American can take to make a difference in helping veterans that are at a crisis point and at risk for suicide.
This is not Zaleski’s first walk across America. In 2010 he walked barefoot with a similar mission. That experience led him to form a non-profit organization—The Long Walk Home—that has helped more than 2,000 veterans with Post Traumatic Stress, learn the coping skills needed to live more fulfilled lives and hopefully, not consider taking their own.
“After working with veterans for the past eighteen years as the founder and executive director, I know our program causes a transformative shift in the trajectory of their lives. I have seen first-hand by supporting these veterans and their families we have been able to turn their anger into mindfulness, heal damaged relationships for themselves and their loved ones, and create a new mission,” Zaleski said. “In addition, my hope is by creating a movement rather than just my own passion and advocacy; together we can help eradicate veteran suicide.”
“The skill sets being offered by Ron Zaleski’s program are critically important in being able to adopt optimal success and health not only after leaving the service but in life in general,” said Gary Delgado a Marine veteran who participated in Zaleski’s program. “Guys just like Gary have literally changed their lives by simply being willing to deal with the after-effects of military life whether they were in combat or not.