DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – Thousands of Alabama veterans are home from the battlefield this Memorial Day, but for many, the hardest fight is the one no one sees.
John Wayne Walding survived combat, but coming home nearly broke him.
“Family is a big deal for veterans, whether it’s blood or not blood, right? Personally with me, you know, my wife and four children have been the North Star for me to reach on, but it’s also been a sacrifice for them,” Walding said.
Walding served 12 years in the U.S. Army, seven of them in the Special Forces. In 2008, a sniper’s bullet took his leg. It didn’t take his mission.
Today, Walding travels the country speaking to veterans about resilience because he knows the numbers. More than 17 veterans die by suicide every single day in America, according to The Department of Veterans Affairs.
In Alabama, veterans are more likely than civilians to have serious mental illness but far less likely to ask for help.
“It’s a statistic that… it’s unfortunate that it exists, but we can get through it together,” Walding said.
Walding says the path through is built on four things: purpose, faith, health and community.
“Just those four pillars is really what helps people overcome adversity,” he said. “I always want people to know is you’re not alone. And, you know, that when you have these feelings, you’ve got to reach out.”
Walding isn’t the only veteran answering that call. Jason Williams served too, and now he rides for a different mission. As vice president of the U.S. Veterans Motorcycle Club, Williams says awareness is the biggest thing.
He and his fellow members pick up the phone when veterans hit their lowest point and connect them with local mental health professionals.
“Sometimes all you need is just somebody to dig you out of that dark place that you find yourself in,” Williams said.
For Walding, the ask this Memorial Day couldn’t be simpler.
“The best advice I could give them is to never underrate the magnitude of what thank you means to a veteran. If you see one, say thank you,” he said.
For some veterans, those two words could mean everything.
If you or a veteran you know is struggling, help is available right now. Call or text 988 and press one for the Veterans Crisis Line.
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