Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Saturday is the sixth annual Ruck to Live suicide awareness and prevention walk in downtown Brighton. Organizer Bryan Bradford with Veterans connected, says it not only brings awareness and healing among the veteran community, but Livingston County's civilian population as well.

"Livingston County is the highest juvenile suicide rate in the state," Bradford told WHMI News. "When we talk about military. We've lost three times as many military veterans to suicide than we did in the 20-year war that we were in, that died in service. That's a big deal."

The numbers, says Bradford, show a greater need for awareness and prevention each year in the U.S., which is losing 133 people a day to suicide, or one every 11 minutes. And he says we're losing a veteran every 33 minutes, or 44 a day.

"In 2008, we had 36,000 total suicides. By 2020, it went to 45,000 and 48,000 in 2021. In 2024, it was 49,316, so it has grown at a pretty rapid rate," he said.

"We know how to fix it. And we know how to deal with it. It is not an online app. It's not social media. It's not digital anything. It's face-to-face, and having that communication with people."

Check in for Saturday's Ruck to Live is 7 am at the Brighton Veterans Memorial on St. Paul Street, with lunch to follow around noon.

Registration information is linked below.

Photos courtesy of Veterans Connected.