Based purely on the ambitiousness of the physical challenge, it’s a remarkable story: Jack Mosher and Jay Brock left Kittery, Maine on May 8, on their way to Arlington National Cemetery. They plan to arrive at the historic spot near the nation’s capitol on May 28, just in time for the Memorial Day celebration and remembrance. And the duo will arrive at their destination on foot, having teamed up to run — yes, run — the entire distance.
Mosher and Brock have embarked upon what they’re calling the Resiliency Run, a series of consecutive daily runs with each of the two men running back-to-back 13.1-mile stretches for a combined daily marathon until they reach their destination. Consider it a metaphoric 21 gun salute in the form of a 550-mile trek, in support of the two combat veterans’ fellow soldiers who face difficulty after returning home from duty.
It’s an achievement the two hope will raise awareness of the post-service needs and issues that characterize a return to civilian life that can be fraught with challenge. And as tempting as it might be to focus attention and appreciation on these two combat veterans themselves — Mosher served in Afghanistan, Brock in Iraq — and on the impressiveness of their self-directed goal, the duo prefers that the brighter light shines instead on the broader meaning and purpose that underpins this marathon of marathons.
Mosher was kind enough to take a break from preparing for his leg of the day six run (which he later described as “being fed a steady diet of Connecticut hills”) to define for Tonic just why they have accepted this mission of their own design.
“I feel great,” Mosher replies to an opening inquiry as to how the start to day six finds him. Buoyed by the support they’re receiving along the way by well-wishers and guest runners, he explains that he and Brock are being very careful to make sure that they treat themselves to the adequate hydration, nutrition and recovery required for such physical demands. So far, so good: “No toenails lost,” Mosher jokes, adding that one of the more challenging aspects so far is eating when he’s not hungry, knowing that a daily intake of some 4,000 calories is required to maintain energy and body weight for the effort.
What’s critical for civilians to understand about the soldier’s challenge upon returning home from duty is that life has changed dramatically.
“You can go on a one-year walking tour of Europe, and when you get back, things will be different. Life goes on when you’re away,” Mosher observes, drawing the stark distinction between simply being away, as on a trip, and being away for the sake of active combat duty.
Add the experiences of war to the extended departure from home, and the veteran is likely left with the need to attend to restoring balance in their psychological, spiritual, emotional and physical senses of being. These four intertwined, life-affirming cornerstone components of a healthy life serve as the philosophical foundation for the Resiliency Run, as well as of the primary mission that our service men and women need to focus on to ensure that their post-service lives are happy and productive.
It’s necessary, but for too many it’s not easy to know how to take that first step or where to turn if assistance is needed.
Mosher recounts an eye-opening statistic: Of the 1.2 million veterans who are eligible for benefits through the Veterans Administration, approximately half have not even registered for the various resources and forms of assistance that their service to our nation has earned them. His personal experience with VA services has been overwhelmingly positive. “There are excellent programs in place, but they don’t work if you don’t use them.” One of the desired outcomes the two men are most hopeful to see come to fruition is a broader understanding that there is nothing shameful or weak in reaching out for aid, in talking to someone who can help them navigate their way through difficulty.
A second goal for the two is one of advocacy on behalf of public funding for these life-affirming, in fact life-saving programs. The need for current levels of funding to remain long after troops have been withdrawn will continue.
While there remain cultural stigmas associated with psychological assistance, Mosher credits the military for rethinking such assistance as beneficial and necessary rather than as primarily a potential blotch on a service record or an impediment to receiving a security clearance.
And while those battling depression or post-traumatic stress disorder often find themselves in a place where it feels overwhelming if not altogether impossible to get off the couch or to reach out, it’s necessary to call upon a sense of individual responsibility in taking that first step, knowing that they do not need to go it alone. Village Soup‘s Beth Staples, reporting from Mosher’s home state of Maine, writes that the return home was a difficult affair for him, but that his family and colleagues provided the support, encouragement and patience that were necessary to steady himself and rise to the occasion of taking charge of his well-being.
Resiliency Run, says Mosher, should be seen as a metaphor for the achievement of good health and balance required to live a fulfilled life, an achievement which may require a helping hand.
As if on cue, Mosher pauses to note Brock’s passing the 11 mile mark where he stands, signaling the approaching end to his available time to speak with me. He aids his team mate with some water, a bit of food and words of encouragement, knowing that his time to hit the pavement is a few minutes away.
In addition to encouraging every veteran to register for the benefits that they have earned through the VA, Mosher and Brock point to the Decade of Health website that the National Guard has established as an especially helpful resource for those who have served (as well as for the family and friends of veterans) to help nurture an understanding of the importance of the four-faceted approach to good health, and explain what steps they can take to be responsible for their own wellness.
“Every veteran is a national treasure, precious and irreplaceable. But they have an obligation to fulfill their own legacy after the return home, and if it takes a bit of help to get them there, then so bit it.
“Our country needs you. We love you.”
Please follow the links to learn more about Jack and Jay and their undertaking at their Resiliency Run website, and follow their progress as their journey to Washington, D.C. continues through May on Twitter and Facebook.
Read about another veteran who’s on the road, walking 7,000 miles to raise awareness for military families: Troy Yocum.
Photos by Mark Houdlette courtesy of OneLifeWarrior/Flickr.