Community members willing to wake up at sunrise early Friday morning are welcome to come down to the I-26 overpass on Hwy 14. in Landrum to support 22 veterans as they walk 22.2 miles to Mutt’s BBQ in Greer to raise awareness of veteran suicide rates.

According to Anita Wilson, event organizer and a 30-year Army veteran, registration for additional walkers and volunteers will begin at 6:30 a.m. The walk will begin at 7 a.m.

“We follow the casualty count of foreign conflicts daily, yet each day we lose 22 veterans to suicide here at home,” Wilson said. “To put that into perspective, that’s almost a football team every day, a school bus of children every two days.”

Support from local EMS and police personnel will be traveling en route to Mutt’s alongside the 22 veterans participating in the walk. The route will travel along Hwy. 14 through Landrum, Gowensville and on to Greer.

Wilson said she hopes businesses and residents will show their support by waving American flags in honor of the veterans or walking a few miles on the route. Cheering the team on in front yards or praying for the group is also welcome.

“The statistics show 22 veterans commit suicide each day, but that number is actually higher because only 21 states reported in last year’s study,” Wilson explained. “Larger states like Texas, California, Georgia or North Carolina did not report their numbers to the VA. For female veterans, a lot of the time their service isn’t shown on their death certificates.”

Mission 22 is a joint effort between Elder Heart, a veteran nonprofit organization that is comprised of Special Forces operators Tom Spooner, Magnus Johnson and Mike Kissel, and global advertising agency Crispin Porter+Bogusky. Their mission is to raise awareness and support to end veteran suicide.

Social media support can also be given on Friday by taking a photo of a “22,” whether it be a house number, street sign or custom art, and posting it on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #Mission22 or #Mi22ion.

“We’re doing this walk to raise awareness, but if people wanted to donate to Mission 22 they can do that on their website at mission22.com,” Wilson added. “One hundred percent of the donations go towards veteran suicide. The biggest thing is that, in this community, everybody knows a veteran.”

Click the “Join the Mission” or “Donate” headers on the Mission 22 website to either set up an event, volunteer at a local event or donate to the charity.

“One veteran commits suicide every 65 minutes and it’s completely unacceptable,” Wilson said. “This is based off of the power of one, which is basically one person doing one act for someone and it can make a difference.”

To register as a volunteer to hand out water to the veterans or accompany them en route to Greer, contact Wilson at anita.wilson@hotmail.com or call 864-350-3022. Registration the morning of the event will take place at the Ingles in Landrum.