As part of their mission to honor, respect, empower and cherish all military veterans and active duty service members to “Heal the Hidden Wounds of War” – in particular, for PTSD and suicide awareness among the military – members of Soldiers Freedom Outdoors will hold the upcoming second annual Honoring Our Heroes Second Annual Family Fest with 5K & 1 Mile Ruck.
The event, which is sponsored by Keesler Federal Credit Union and the City of Hattiesburg, will be held September 23 at Chain Park in Hattiesburg.
“Our organization does weekend retreats and other outdoor activities so our military veterans or service members can start the healing process, said Cindy Wittenberg who serves as retreat coordinator and Mississippi extension leader for Soldiers Freedom Outdoors. “Statistics show that 22 military veterans commit suicide each day, and our organization is trying to stop that.
“So we do these events, and our fundraising events, to try and bring awareness and also to be able to continue our programs.”
The event will feature a 5K race, a one-mile ruck march, an award ceremony and kids’ activities.
The schedule for the day is as follows:
- 6:30 a.m.: Packet pickup and race day registration
- 7:30 a.m.: Announcements and safety meeting
- 8 a.m.: 5K begins
- 8:05 a.m.: One-mile ruck begins
- 9:15 a.m.: Award ceremony (approximate time)
- 9 a.m.-4 p.m.: Family Fest with music, vendors and kids’ activities
Wittenberg said last year’s inaugural event was fairly small, with it being the first event, but she expects this year to be a bigger turnout.
“We’ve had a lot of support … and we have some additional sponsors, like Southern On Site and Diva Timing, which will be timing the event,” Wittenberg said. “We also have some music by Autumn Rising.
“We’ve just had a lot of support this year. It’s a community event and open to the public, so we’re hoping it’ll be a good turnout.”
To register for the event, contact Wittenberg at cindy@soldiersfreedomoutdoors.org or by phone at (601) 596-2406.
Soldiers Freedom Outdoors serves veterans and active-duty military personnel throughout the United States. Its main facility, known as Camp Freedom, is located in Melrose, California.
The organization’s retreats allow military members to share their stories, struggles and celebrations.
For more information on the organization, visit www.soldiersfreedomoutdoors.org.
