Marine vet 'taking a hike' through Iowa for veterans
Minnesota vet headed from 'Austin to Austin' through Iowa to promove vets recovery program.
WATERLOO -- A U.S. Marine Corps 1991 Persian Gulf War and Somalia veteran from the Twin Cities has been walking through Iowa this past week enroute to Texas to promote a program to help troubled veterans find their place in the world after military service.
Crawford, of Brooklyn Center, Minn. adjacent to Minneapolis, is embarking on an "Austin to Austin" walk -- Austin, Minn. to Austin, Texas. He hopes to make Texas by early April. He was trekking from Ames to Ankeny on Tuesday, Feb. 13, and from there to Waukee and points south.
He's finding help along the way -- like fellow Marine Gulf War vet and local veteran advocate Kris Jones of Waterloo, who brought him to last week's weekly veterans coffee at the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum to help spread the word.
Crawford's promoting "23rd Veteran," a nonprofit based in Duluth, which offers 14-week mental health program for veterans, "23 V Recon."
"It saved my life," said Crawford. He was referred to the program by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans or MACV, founded in 1990 with assistance from the Veterans of Foreign Wars
"I got involved with 23rd Veteran from a Facebook post,” he said. “I'd been doing a lot of volunteer work but I was not right in the head."
He said 23rd Veteran reconditioning or "recon" program changed that.
"That started the fire in me,” Crawford said. “The change in my life was so amazing, so incredible, I had to spread it, I had to share it. I had to help. I had to pay back."
He served in the Marines eight years, 1987-95. He worked mainly with helicopters, in a career that included the 1991 Gulf War, the evacuation of Americans from Mogadishu in Somalia that year, and a stint working with Marine One, the helicopter group which transports the president of the United States. In between, he lost several comrades in training mishaps or accidents, mainly at sea.
After service he struggled with alcoholism, emotional and family issues. The 23V Recon program helped him attain sobriety. He'll mark two years of sobriety in April.
"I went through the program. It did wonders for me and the people around me," he said. "And I stayed with the program as a volunteer. The following year I led the program in Minneapolis, helping veterans. At every step I could volunteer, I would, and I found myself in the community doing other veteran help - homeless veterans, alcoholic and chemically dependent people.” He helped, by "showing up," he said.
"My idea on this walk is to try to spread word on what 23rd Veteran is all about," Crawford said. "It's based in Minnesota. But we could use this 'shot of joy,' this unique 14-week program, in other places, anywhere.” He’s received some publicity through Twin Cities news media and the Minnesota American Legion for his efforts.
"If I can bring a class to Austin, Minn. that can serve part of Iowa, If I can bring it to Des Moines and beyond -- Kansas City, Tulsa, wherever - If we can get the community talking about this program and this organization, that's my goal," he said.
He said 23rd Veteran Recon "is a program I am committed to helping spread, helping grow. Because it helps veterans."
The name “23rd Veteran” was originally derived from the estimated average of 22 daily veteran suicides in the U.S according to a 2012 report by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The name “23rd Veteran” is one born of affirmation and hope. Subsequent reports have reduced that average number slightly, while others have suggested veteran suicides are under-reported.
Programs like “23 V Recon” are designed to help veterans buck that trend and simply help with challenges on a number of fronts.
With “23 V Recon,” a group of veterans are taking "out in the wilderness" or a remote location for a week, "away from their phones, away from everything," Crawford said.
"That forms a team. That is a recipe for love. They form this camaraderie,” he said “And then come back home to their general area, and they work out three times a week. This is important. It's about the physical fitness necessarily. But after you work out about a half hour, 45 minutes," that gets the juices flowing - certain brain chemicals are released from being active, and a "gratitude" circle discussion session his held.
"You can see the change in the veteran," Crawford said. "These are veterans who have been through some sort of trauma. That's the key. You can see the smiles come out in the veterans faces. You get veterans that have never been out of their basements that come out."
There's also Saturday sessions with veterans and their families in public places they might have previously avoided. "We expose them to the crowds, but with that trusted group, they can face those fears and be comfortable with them,” Crawford said.
"From my original class, we had several that took a road trip to Philadelphia, and an overnight trip New York City,” he said. “And these are veterans that have lived through trauma, having some sort of social issues. We found ourselves staying out until 4 a.m. in New York City. And we didn't realize that it should be uncomfortable for us. Because we were comfortable with each other. That's what the program does. It gets us comfortable again out there."
The “23 V Recon” program was organized in 2015. There's been 15 class of eight to 12 veterans per class.
"Some have gone through more than once. I went once as a participant, once as a lead," Crawford said. "But I can tell you, that second class was a life changer too." They even initiated a class in Philadelphia. Participants also can come to Minnesota if they can make the time commitment; housing and even part-time employment could be arranged. But he'd like to stimulate interest in the classes in other locations.
"It's free to all veterans,” Crawford said. “Our cost is $7,500 per veteran." They are supported by donations and fundraisers, such as a "ruck" fundraiser hike.
His goal is to make Austin Texas on or about April 8, which is the date of a total solar eclipse. "That's part of the theme: Bringing back the sun; you have to have darkness before the light.” he said.
"I do believe it's a spiritual journey," he said, with a lot of support of fellow Marines he deployed with. "There's a lot of faith going into it. It's beautiful."
He has friends and fellow veterans shuttling his camper to stops along the way to various overnight stops. His general trek through Iowa will take him down through the central part of the state along the I-35 corridor. He’s been blessed by favorable weather in addition to the personal support he’s received along the way.
For more information on the trip and the program, check out Crawford's "1000 Mile Gratitude Walk" Facebook page and the website 23rdveteran.org.
Pat Kinney is a freelance writer and former longtime news staffer with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier and, prior to that, several years at the Ames Tribune. He is currently an oral historian with the Grout Museum District in Waterloo. His “View from the Cedar Valley” column is part of “Iowa Writers Collaborative,” a collection of news and opinion writers from around the state who previously and currently work with a host of Iowa newspapers, news organizations and other publications. Click on their links below to sample their work.
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Thank you for sharing this story with us, Pat. Mr. Crawford is a hero. Thank you, as well, for providing the link to 23rdveteran.org.