EDINBURGH, Ind. (WTHR) - The 90 degree heat this week didn't stop a pair of Indiana combat veterans from walking 110 miles across Southern Indiana on a quest to raise awareness of post traumatic stress disorder.
Adam Smith and Brian Alvey started in New Albany Monday and finished Friday in Franklin. They challenged themselves to complete a charitable mission for PTSD, a battle many veterans fight after leaving active military duty.
"It never totally goes away, but you can control it,” said Alvey. “It's very hard to get in front of once it gets a hold of you. I call it 'the black cloud' and it just kind of seeps in over you. Trying to get out of it is difficult. That's where teamwork becomes involved."
Smith and Alvey first met serving in the same battalion in Afghanistan in 2004. A few weeks ago, the two veterans decided to walk from Adam's business, a CrossFit gym in New Albany, to Brian's business, The Mint cocktail bar in Franklin. They call their walk The Warrior 110.
A small group of supporters joined Smith and Alvey for the last 10-mile leg from Camp Atterbury to Franklin, leaving the memorial park just after noon Friday.
Alvey served almost 21 years in the U.S. Army, Smith nearly 17 years. Both have dealt with PTSD. Smith doesn't hide that he tried to kill himself three years ago.
"I drank every drop of alcohol in the house and put a pistol in my mouth,” said Smith. “Then I passed out because I was so drunk that I didn't pull the trigger. That's the only reason why I'm here. When do you hear that story? When do you hear the story of people that have gotten to the brink of suicide and then found a way to come back?"
Veterans unable to find their mission in life after the military often leads them to depression, then homelessness. The Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF) reports 33 percent of the homeless population is veterans.
"We have both found a path out of that desperate place, that darkness, and transitioning into something better, becoming better at being ourselves, better at being men in modern society,” said Smith. “A part of that aspect is to understand truly, without equivocation, that hope is the only answer."
Smith and Alvey arrived late Friday afternoon at The Mint, the finish line for their tired and damaged feet.
"We look like we have leprosy,” said Alvey. “Our feet our chewed up, but they'll heal."
The two veterans plan to make the Warrior 110 an annual event but will move their walk to cooler weather in the fall and invite others to join them. They also plan to coordinate an event along the route with HVAF.
They ask supporters to send donations directly to HVAF.