Giving Compass' Take:

• Walking with the Wounded is a three month, 1000 mile journey from Los Angeles to New York City. It offers veterans a platform to tell their stories and help other vets that might need more support.

• How will this platform help veterans who are dealing with PTSD?

• Read about how to support our veterans through the arts. 


Earlier this year Puerto Rico Service Platoon Leader Frankie Perez embarked on a 3 month, 1000 mile journey, walking across America with three British and two American veterans with Walking with the Wounded. The group started in Los Angeles on June 2nd and finished in New York City September 6th with a special appearance from former Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden.

The walk was intended to create a platform to tell the stories of wounded veterans and their individual journeys from injury to the present day, and more specifically provides a platform to engage in a wider conversation around mental health. Today, we bring you some reflections from Frankie on this experience.

“I’ve been working hard since 2014 to deliver suicide and mental health awareness, whether you’re a veteran or not — that’s my drive, so this was my big door to go out there and deliver that message.”  The impact of this experience was huge for Frankie. “I never thought I would be able to reach out to so many people. When non-veterans start reaching out to you, you know that’s when you’re going a good job, the right way. It was a powerful experience to interact with other people — veterans and non-veterans who share that experience.”

Read the full article about Walking with the Wounded by Abigail Pope-Brooks at Mission Continues Blog