150-mile march to Memorial Stadium honors veterans lost to suicide

EAGLE, Neb. (KLKN) – A 150-mile march from Menlo, Iowa, to Memorial Stadium continued on Thursday.

Participants in the Things They Carry Ruck March walked from Ashland to Eagle to Lincoln to honor veterans who lost their lives to suicide.

Jenalee Wimer, president of the UNL Student Veterans of America chapter, said this yearly event hits home for everyone.

“Each and every veteran out there knows somebody who has committed suicide, and that’s a huge number,” she said. “So, it’s really awesome to raise awareness, and it hits close to home for a lot of people.”

The marchers carry a rucksack that’s filled with weight that carries a bigger meaning.

“We carry 22 pounds, and our packs, and that’s to represent the 22 veterans that we lose each day to suicide,” Wimer explained. “A lot of them carry military memorabilia, and some of them recently, yesterday, there was a gentleman that had carried a part from one of the friends that he lost.”

The journey is usually an over 300-mile march from the visiting team’s stadium to the home team’s to deliver the game ball for the yearly Nebraska-Iowa football game.

Due to logistical problems, this year, it started at the halfway point and ended at Memorial Stadium.

James Zack, a 23-year military veteran, said he holds the march dear to his heart.

“I’ve had friends committed suicide with the military, so it hits close to home,” he said. “It’s something I look forward to every year. I will, I’ve done this now, this is my third year doing it. And I don’t see any time quitting.”

This year is even more special.

The team is dedicating each day’s route to a specific veteran lost to suicide. The name of that vet is inscribed onto a Nebraska football and framed by the names of everyone who marched that day.

The plan is to send those footballs to the families of those veterans.