Suffolk Legis. Chad Lennon commits to 26-hour walk in honor of veteran suicide awareness month
Legis. Chad Lennon, at podium, is joined by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (left) to announce a 66-mile walk event this weekend to bring awareness to veteran suicide. Credit: Rick Kopstein
A Suffolk County legislator will embark on a 66-mile walk from Orient to Hauppauge this weekend to raise awareness for veterans' suicide.
The walk begins at the Orient Fire Department on Route 25 and ends at the H. Lee Dennison building at 11 a.m. Sunday where officials will hold a ceremony formally raising the Suicide Awareness and Remembrance flag at Armed Forces Plaza.
Legis. Chad Lennon (R-Rocky Point), a Marine Corps reservist who was recently promoted to lieutenant colonel, will be joined by three Marine veterans and Vanessa Lockel, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension for the full duration. Others are encouraged to join at points throughout the journey, he said.
Lennon sponsored legislation that was signed into law in June to fly the SAR flag at Armed Forces Plaza as a way to raise awareness of military and veteran suicide.
"Here in Suffolk we’re going to have a symbol, the SAR flag to recognize that we have a massive issue for 20 years with no real change," Lennon said at a news conference Wednesday.
Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said he signed the bill "so [veterans] get the help that is needed."
There were 6,407 veteran suicides in 2022 across the country, a number that has held mostly steady since 2001 even as the veteran population decreased by 28.4% over that time period, according to a report last year by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Suffolk is home to more veterans than any other county in New York, with more than 49,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 1-year American Community Survey.
A NY Health Foundation report released earlier this year found New York veterans die by suicide at a rate close to double the general population.
The group will walk through the night to complete the journey in 26 hours. They’ll take breaks at nine checkpoints every three hours to eat and drink. The halfway mark on Saturday at 9 p.m. will be at J&R's Steakhouse in Calverton.
Lennon encouraged people to join the last rally point at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Dunkin' located at 560 Smithtown Bypass.
Lockel said in an interview Lennon reached out to her about joining since he knew she competes in ultra marathons, which cover distances greater than the standard 26.2 miles. She had already been training for a run the following weekend.
She said it’s a "complete honor" to join the walk and to support "such a great cause."
"It’d be exciting to see who comes," she said. "I know that he's (Lennon) got a lot of other strong supporters from the military coming to support the cause."
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
