A group of veterans recently challenged themselves physically to make a difference in regard to PTSD, as June is PTSD Awareness Month.
Seven combat-wounded veterans just completed a five-day PTSD Century Hike across Kansas and Missouri to raise PTSD awareness.
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is known to be common among veterans who return home from combat.
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Seven out of every 100 veterans will have PTSD at some point in their life, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs says.
Army veteran Chad Prichard of Colorado led six other veterans through the 105-mile hike — which started on June 5 at the Whiteman Air Force Base in Warrensburg, Missouri, and ended in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, on June 9.
Pritchard, brought up in the Midwest, struggled with substance abuse before he became a runner.
The Army veteran deployed to Iraq in 2003 — and when he returned home, he struggled with drugs and alcohol for years, he said.
By 2012, Prichard was homeless and struggling to find a way out of his addictions.
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A friend of his heard he was struggling and reached out to help, giving him an apartment to live in while he figured out his next steps.
Eventually, Prichard became sober and started living a much healthier life — and was able to hike over 100 miles in one Midwest summer.
Prichard spoke with Fox News Digital when he was 56 miles into the hike on day three, explaining more about the fourth annual event and the difference it makes in veterans’ lives.
“It’s all to support and raise awareness for PTSD, veteran suicide and mental health,” he said of the hike.
The first hike took place in Colorado in 2020 when he and other veterans decided to take the initiative in combating some of the mental health issues that veterans struggle with in their lives.
“We start getting deep…
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