Two local combat veterans are walking 110 miles this week to raise funds for homeless veterans and awareness about the challenges that all veterans face.
It all began with a quick conversation two weeks ago when Brian Alvey, co-owner of a Franklin business, called his friend Adam Smith of New Albany. The two, both veterans, met while in Afghanistan. Alvey told Smith that he “wanted to do something crazy” to raise money and awareness for problems that veterans face, specifically post traumatic stress disorder and veteran homelessness.
“Literally two weeks ago on a Tuesday we had this conversation and it was decided after about 13 minutes,” Smith said.
Warrior 110 was born.
Alvey and Smith, who have both struggled with post traumatic stress disorder and adjusting to civilian life after being in the military, will be walking from Smith’s business in New Albany to Alvey’s business, The Mint, in Franklin. They started Monday and will be traveling along U.S. 150 and State Road 60 until they reach Salem where they will predominantly travel along State Road 135 until they reach the Nashville area.
There, they will travel along county roads that will bring them to the northwest corner of Camp Atterbury where they will pay their respects to fallen soldiers and then make their way to their final destination. The two want to invite anyone who is willing to join them at Camp Atterbury to make the last 10 miles of their trek with them.
They are expected to reach Camp Atterbury on July 5.
The two will be walking roughly 22 miles a day to reach their goal. They plan to walk the 110 miles no matter the weather, Alvey said, and they will be sleeping in hammocks wherever they stop.
The money they raise will go to the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation, an organization dedicated to ending homelessness among veterans. They provide housing and reintegration services for homeless veterans and programs to prevent at-risk veterans from becoming homeless, according to its website.
About 11 percent of the adult homeless population are veterans, according to the national coalition for homeless veterans. The majority of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness, alcohol or substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders.
One of the bigger challenges that Alvey and Smith want people to be made aware of is post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury that veterans may suffer from. Fifty percent of veterans with post traumatic stress disorder do not seek treatment, according to a study done by the RAND organization.
“People don’t know what they don’t know,” Smith said. “…the deeper problem is not the traumatic experience, that’s not the problem. The traumatic event is done. And any physical wounds that you may have received have healed, but the way the brain and the nervous system processes the information, it is a repeated habit of instantaneously firing the fight or flight response. So, I want people to understand and know that there is a choice. They have a choice for that to no longer control their life.”
Their hope is that the Warrior 110 will become an annual event.
Undoubtedly, the walk is going to be hard and hot, and maybe even a little wet, Smith said, but in the end it will be worth it.
“The opportunity for Brian (Alvey) and I to partner up and really do this together is huge,” Smith said. “And it means the world because there’s really a great opportunity that we can do a lot of good and bring a lot of difference into this area for veterans.”
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You can donate directly to the organization that Alvey and Smith are raising funds for through the link below.
https://www.hvafofindiana.org/donate/
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