22 Hump remembers vets

  • U.S. Air Force veteran Mark Narcowitz leads the procession of 22 Hump walkers down Peachtree Street in Murphy on the morning of May 23. Photo by Noah Shatzer
    U.S. Air Force veteran Mark Narcowitz leads the procession of 22 Hump walkers down Peachtree Street in Murphy on the morning of May 23. Photo by Noah Shatzer

        Murphy – Warriors Veteran Outreach founder Dan’o Miller said for years, he has been praying for rain on the day the organization conducts its annual 22 Hump.
        And on the morning of May 23, the fifth year of the 22 Hump, which is organized to build awareness of the daily suicides of about 22 men and women who have served our country in a branch of the military, Miller’s prayers were finally answered.
        “I have prayed for five years that we got some rain on this Saturday,” he said with a smile. “Last year it was extremely hot, and once you get out here on the asphalt in the sun, it just bakes you from the bottom up.”
        Along with the cooler weather, the event brought out the highest number of participants in the event’s five years, with more than 75 walkers as well as another 25 support personnel taking part in the excursion, Miller said. There also were 26 sponsors.
        In addition, $625 in donations were received to go along with the $1,200 raised the week before. He said that money will provide support for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
        For veteran and Warriors Veteran Outreach member Bruno Coltri Jr., who was at the first 22 Hump five years ago, the growth the event has seen in terms of the turnout and community support has been inspiring.
        “You have to realize this is our fifth year, so a lot of us still remember what it was like on the first year,” Coltri Jr. “It’s like embedded because that’s what the WVO is, it’s brothers and sisters. That’s our chapter, we take care of whatever we can. And those people realize that they can come here and get help.”
        As Miller spoke to the group of walkers prior to their departure, he mentioned how the list of sponsors from the community was so long this year they had almost ran out of room on the back of the shirts to list all of the names of the more than 25 businesses, churches and individuals.
        “It’s beyond anything I can describe,” Miller said of support for the event. “Here in western North Carolina, there’s a patriotic sense of life, and I think that that’s why a lot of veterans are drawn here. Just the respect that the veterans have and the family atmosphere that we’re going to help each other.
        “We’ve grown tremendously; this year, we’ve got sponsors from as far away as California. And as far as us helping other veterans and widows, we know no boundaries as well.”