Eastern North Carolina has one of the highest concentrations of military personnel and veterans in the nation, and WSFL invites you honor and assist them by participating in the MARCH FOR THE 22 on Wednesday, November 11.
We lose up to 22 veterans to suicide each day in the United States, which is completely unacceptable! Since its inception in 2020, MARCH FOR THE 22 has not only brought awareness to the veteran suicide epidemic but has enabled American Legion’s Whitehurst-Ware Post 539 to provide household finances and employment resources to over a hundred active-duty, retired, discharged, and disabled veterans within Craven County. Providing support to the local veteran community is the Post’s number one mission and will assist in lowering suicides among our veterans. Statistics fluctuate but the most important number to the American Legion is one, as in BE THE ONE, to stop a veteran from taking his or her own life.
If we all save one, collectively we will save thousands.
The march is comprised of four hikes of varying lengths, traveling up Highway 70 in Craven County. The four hikes include the following (times are estimates with the exception of the start ime):
1 – The longest, which is 22-miles, beginning at the AMC Classic Movie Theater in Havelock at 7am.
2 – The 22-kilometer option which begins at Township Six Fire Department Station 1 in Carolina Pines/Neuse Forest at 9:30am.
3 – The 2.2-mile hike beginning at the Carolina Grill at 2:30pm.
4 – The 2.2-kilometer option beginning at Outback Steakhouse, joining the march at 2:45pm.
The hikes are organized so that, as the day passes, more participants can gather. The event concludes with a march across the bridge into and through Union Point Park in downtrown New Bern, surrounded by the Field of Flags (which are placed each year by Vietnam Veterans of America & Student Veterans of America), and it ends with breaking bread at Firefly Cafe and a toast at Freshwater Beer Co.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFO AND TO SIGN UP NOW
Listen to an interview with MARCH FOR THE 22’s Destry & Sandy Witthaus