“The mission of Irreverent Warriors is to bring veterans together using humor and camaraderie to improve mental health and prevent veteran suicide.”
First, I must say, Robert Schwenk Jr, the Cleveland Local Coordinator for the Irreverent Warriors Silkies Hike sent a message out after the hike on August 17th, talking about post hike blues. Well… he was not wrong. That is definitely a thing.
I am a 36-year-old woman, who has not had a whole lot in the way of trauma, and I didn’t grow up with a military background. I initially met my husband before he joined the Army, then reconnected with him after he had been on a deployment, and we began our journey from there. I grew up in Wyoming, with a very large, very close-knit family. We really did everything together. All birthdays included my biological parents, my stepparents and even my ex-stepparents! People used to ask how everyone got along so well, so I have been absolutely blessed in having a family around me all the time.
After Mike and I got married, we moved away from my big ol’ family, to Georgia, where neither of us had family. But, what we did have was our military family. We were in Georgia for two years then moved to Arizona where we continued to have new (and old) military family there. When we moved from Arizona in 2022, we moved to Ohio, away from ALL family. Of course, we had our family, but my family was back in Wyoming and our military family was dispersing around the country.
Ohio has been a completely new world for us, but overall, has been amazing. Most of the people closest to us know that we were in a car accident in 2023 that almost took Michael’s life and changed our lives entirely. We are finally starting to get back to “normal” …whatever that is.
On Saturday, August 17th, we were invited to be a part of Irreverent Warriors in Cleveland. We were tasked with some media work, pictures and videos, and capturing the moments. Well, with the assumption that this was just a job, for me, I started that day nervous, and I just wanted to do the job right. I don’t want to be the “annoying” media person with a camera in everyone’s face or take away from the vibes of the people participating.
I didn’t know what I was walking into though.
I was welcomed and not just as a media person. I was welcomed as a human, with feelings, and a part of a family. It was like we were immediately surrounded by the family that we have been missing. When I say I smiled THE ENTIRE DAY, I mean I smiled THE ENTIRE DAY. I smiled and cried. Cried from happiness and sadness. I felt closer to my husband, and we have spent every single day this summer together. I didn’t know I could get closer to him!!!
This hike was just shy of 8 miles. I ran a good portion of it (back and forth to capture the moments of the 100 people there) and my body didn’t hurt. It was a thousand degrees outside, with 150% humidity, and I didn’t even notice. I was a sweaty mess but didn’t care because of the happy high I was riding.
Since the hike, I have struggled to find MY own connection to the group of amazing people we participated with. Every person I had an interaction with, I felt connected to. I know that my life experiences don’t align with theirs. The veterans out there that we hiked with, have seen things, done things, been a part of things that I could never have a comparison to, but I still felt welcomed beyond the job that I was there to do. I am not a veteran. I married a veteran and got exposed to a life that I didn’t know that I would need in my life. I felt like I belonged with everyone there, so thank you for that.
Shout out to everyone at the Cleveland hike -- I need ALL of you to know that my civilian mental health needed this dose of camaraderie and humor. Irreverent Warriors isn’t just saving the lives of Veterans 😊
I know that this hike was meant for those who currently serve or previously served in the military. I know that these hikes are meant to prevent suicide in veterans, #22aday, and to improve the mental health of veterans and service members. I watched this group of brothers and sisters go out there and do 22 pushups at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument downtown in Cleveland. Capturing this moment was invaluable to me. Each person out there had a story to tell, and without speaking words even, some of those stories were well told.
So to close. Thank you for allowing the No Sleeves Network to be a part of this. This was an experience that I will never forget and hope to get an opportunity to do again.
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