Yesterday I walked to Putney and back, a total distance of about 22 miles.  I was one of about 25 people who joined this walk in order to raise awareness of the problem of military and veteran suicide. One common figure is that 22 veterans kill themselves every day. Their shadows loom.

  The event was organized by 22-year-old Lauren Mabie, daughter of a prominent local family, and newly commissioned Army 2nd Lieutenant.

I met some nice people on the walk, including a couple of very active Veterans for Peace, whose views are strong and whose spirits seem unbroken despite decades of crying in the wilderness.

I know my legs are sore today, and I didn’t even carry a rucksack like fresh-faced Lt. Mabie, whose recovery will surely be harder… tomorrow she ships off to Germany for her first tour with a Patriot missile battalion.