Veterans running across nation for PTSD awareness visit Phoenix
PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Two men are on a mission.
Will Owens and a friend were once U.S. Marines. Now, the veterans are serving a new purpose, one that Owen says he knows all too well.
"I went through some dark issues, some troubled times and I found help and realized that there was some pandemic from losing friends in my own personal experience to 22 guys and gals a day taking their life, and I just felt like that was way too many," he said.
Owens and his partner are getting the word out by taking the country by foot. They're running cross-country over the next 50 days and one of their first stops is Phoenix.
For Owens, running across the country and spreading awareness is a form of self-healing. Pushing through pain, Owens says he and his partner run nearly 60 miles a day, and what keeps them in stride is the motivation behind their cause.
"Shooter, he's got energy, so he pulls me sometimes, but it's truly the guys and gals that I've served with and just knowing that there's people still struggling," he said.
Owens says support is what our veterans need.
"'We,' it's not an 'I,'" he said. "We're in this together and that's not just a military concept, but a national concept. We as in the American community. Run with us. Show us emotional support that way... spread the word, mainly. That's the key."
Run 2x2 Vets
1-888-500-000
http://run2x2vets.com/