FREDERICK COUNTY — A nonprofit organization is working to raise awareness about the invisible wounds of war through a unique approach that's capturing attention across America.
Pulling for Veterans, founded by veteran Nicholas Walker, uses trailers emblazoned with educational messages about PTSD to spark conversations and potentially save lives.
"All the memories in the back of your head that you tried to hide, so you wound up going down one road, intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares… imagine that happening in one day," Walker said.
VIDEO: Nonprofit 'Pulling for Veterans' brings attention to PTSD and veteran suicide
The VA estimates that 22 veterans commit suicide each day, a statistic that drives the organization's mission.
"And then it seems like you're carrying the weight of a trailer every day… so that's why I started this. Not only does it start conversation about PTSD, but it helps people understand it," Walker said.
The organization's trailers travel to communities across the country, bringing their message directly to veterans who might be struggling.
"The tractor trailers are going to little small towns across America where your veterans are, so we want to let them know that we're helping and trying to do our best," Walker said.
Perhaps most powerful are the backs of the trailers, which display photos of veterans who lost their battles with PTSD. Some were just 25 years old.
"Once we start putting faces on the back of trailers to veterans who lost their battles to PTSD, now it's real; without a picture, it's not real," Walker said.
Every time a trailer is rented, 100 percent of the proceeds go toward veteran rehabilitation programs. The trailers are pulled either by truck or by hand during events.
Tommy Miner, a veteran who volunteers with Pulling for Veterans, participates in these events to highlight the weight of PTSD.
"Typically for me it's a lot of just showing up and just pulling the trailer to really just emphasize the weight that PTSD can hold onto veterans," Miner said.
Fellow veteran volunteer Gail Bell emphasizes the human cost behind the statistics.
"They matter; they have families, they have people who care for them, and they're gone, so let's save some lives here," Bell said.
The organization participates in parades and memorials, walking and driving mile after mile to raise awareness not just for those suffering from PTSD, but also for those living with secondary PTSD—the trauma of losing someone they love.
"That it can hit anybody—it isn't just necessarily veterans; it can be anybody. PTSD can come any place, any how, any person," Bell said.
For the team behind Pulling for Veterans, their work represents both a healing journey and a mission to keep hope alive for others.
"They may not be aware of some of these things that may be affecting the person they love, and taking a trailer can potentially help them help someone they don't know is struggling," Miner said.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 and press 1.
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