By Nicole June
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Clarksville resident and 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) veteran Ernesto Rodriguez has completed a cross-country journey to raise awareness for veterans’ issues.
Rodriguez left Clarksville several months ago and finished his last five-mile walk Wednesday, April 19 from Los Angeles, California to the Santa Monica pier.
ClarksvilleNow.com spoke to Rodriguez by phone while he was walking through the desert on one of the last legs of his 2,200 mile road march.
“I did this on my own, just spreading awareness, educating people along the way, and helping local veteran communities in the towns I pass through,” he said.
Rodriguez is not affiliated with any particular organization, but uses #forthe22 on his various social media pages to promote awareness about veteran suicide. *Some statistics estimate at least 22 veteran lives are lost to suicide per day, due to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions. Rodriguez’s goal was to educate people about the plight of these men and women and encourage communities to offer support.
*These figures are based on a 2012 report from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Rodriguez himself served 15 years in the Army and medically retired from the 101st Sustainment Brigade while stationed at Fort Campbell. He served four combat tours of duty (two in Iraq, two in Afghanistan) during his time in the military.
Now that he is retired, Rodriguez has focused on serving his fellow veterans and community by working with multiple groups including 22 Kill, Reboot Combat Recovery, Veterans on Patrol, and others.
He said veterans need to be aware of the resources available to them, which requires better promotion, transparency, and outreach.
“These organizations are there to help, to educate, and to save lives,” Rodriguez said. “As Americans and citizens of this country, we shouldn’t be allowing veterans to get to a point where they feel like there’s no way out except suicide.”
As he traveled, Rodriguez promoted these various organizations and helped local homeless veteran encampments. He documented his trip on his Facebook page.
Once his road march is complete, he plans to give speeches at universities, veterans organizations, VA hospitals, and other locations to spread his message and reach as many people as possible.
Read more about suicide prevention resources here.
*Note: This story was originally published April 5, 2017.
Check out a compilation of some of Rodriguez’s videos shot during his road march below:
All video footage courtesy of Ernesto Rodriguez