A group of five ex-military men and volunteers set off on a journey on Thursday that will see them walk from Windsor, Ont. to Chatham, Ont. carrying ruck sacks as heavy as 55 pounds, in an effort to support homeless veterans. “Specifically in the infantry back in the day, they’d have to lug everything around and everything would be on their back,” Mario Gaudet explained. The walk is part of a bigger initiative, Ruck 2 Remember. “The Road to Recovery Ruck March is our flagship annual event,” said Ruck 2 Remember founder Lino Di Julio. “We cover two kilometres for every veteran and first responder that passed the year before so this year, that’ll be 142 kilometres that we’re covering.” The Ruck 2 Remember organization this year is helping create awareness and support for a program called “Leave the Streets Behind”. “It’s run by the Royal Canadian Legion, and it’s committed to getting and keeping veterans off the streets,” Di Julio said. Students from St. Angela school formed a line on Marentette Avenue and cheered for the ruckers as they stepped off into their journey. “The Legion being just down the street from us, a lot of them saw the building, didn’t know what it was,” said teacher Nikki Knight. “We wanted to spread some awareness of what they were doing and let them know that this is an important part of our community. We wanted to teach our kids we don’t support veterans just on Remembrance Day.” They receive a lot of support on the trail today, with many honking their horns. The ruckers are thankful and have seen the work done through their efforts. “There’s been homeless veterans that we’ve assisted,” explained Brian Harris. “About 25, 30 veterans in Windsor. We’ve helped veterans in Amherstburg, Kingsville, Comber, Chatham, all the routes that we’re going on this year’s ruck.” Day one concluded in Amherstburg, where they are being hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion Fort Malden Branch 157. They had a parade, dinner, and are staying there overnight. Day two is their longest day of the journey, which will see them walk 41 kilometres. Ruck 2 Remember will finish in Chatham on Sunday with the hope of raising $200,000 during their visits and online.
