Over Memorial Day weekend, 23 pairs of combat boots were placed on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol as a reminder to the public about the 23 veterans and active duty members of the U.S. military who take their lives each day.
“Since 911 we have lost more soldiers to suicide than those who fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined,” said Travis Birr, event coordinator for Operation: 23 to Zero, an organization who is hosting a 23-hour ultra run in Lutsen this weekend. “In fact, we have lost a lot more, over 8,000 vets take their lives each year. It’s a horrible epidemic and it has to be stopped.”
The race will start at Eagle Ridge Resort at Lutsen Mountains at 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 4. Runners will head down the ski hill road to the Caribou snowmobile trail and turn onto the Onion River Road before merging with the Eagle snowmobile trail, the North Shore State Trail, the Lutsen Access trail and back to the ski hill road, a route of 20 miles with aid stations every 5 miles on the rugged course.
“I’m worried about how wet the course will be. It’s rained almost every day this past week and it’s supposed to rain some more this week. I may have to change the course a little bit to protect the runners,” Birr said.
Birr is active in the Army National Guard and he works as a medic for Gold Cross Ambulance in Duluth. His free time is largely taken up coordinating events for Operation: 23 to Zero, a volunteer group that is dedicated to providing awareness and support for fellow military members who need help and support.
“I have planned and participated in a lot of “Ruck” marches. Those are events where we put on our backpacks and do walks in communities, stopping to talk to bystanders and getting the word out about this problem our military personnel faces.”
As for the Lutsen race, Birr said he had hoped to cap the race at 230 entrants, but delays in authorization from Operation: 23 to Zero meant he didn’t get the word out as soon as he would have liked. He has heard from many who made other plans in the meantime.
However, he said, “No matter, I hope it will be the best race ever for these individuals that will participate and next year I will be able to get the word out to running clubs and other organizations that promote these types of endurance events a lot earlier.”
Like everyone connected to Operation: 23 to Zero, Birr is an unpaid volunteer. “One hundred percent of the money we receive goes to assisting veterans,” he said.
Donations accepted from events like the Lutsen ultra-run will fund programs for veterans— caring for homeless veterans, helping with transportation, scholarships and more.
“Twenty-two non-active duty and one active duty service members take their lives each day,” explained Birr. “And those numbers are taken from 36 states that reported to the VA in 2012. Many states don’t report their statistics so we really don’t know what the real number is, but we do know one is too many.”
In Minnesota the news is especially grim. For the fifth year in a row the state has led the nation in losing National Guard or Reserve unit members to suicide and that has to end, said Birr.
When asked how long he will continue to volunteer with Operation: 23 to Zero, Birr replied, “I guess I would like to stay on until the number of vets taking their lives reaches zero. About that long.”
Any veteran who needs help
is encouraged to contact the Veterans Crisis Line:
Call: 1-800-273-8255 Text: 838255
www.veteranscrisisline.net/gethelp/resourcelocator.aspx
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