Dozens participate in Veterans Suicide Awareness Walk

JOHNSTOWN – Saturday afternoon was the second-annual Veterans Suicide Awareness Walk, held in Johnstown’s Central Park.

It's part of several Out of the Darkness walks across the state.

A lot of people showed up, not only to honor their loved ones, but to make others aware of the depression and post-traumatic stress disorder many people face.

They want everyone, especially veterans to know they're not alone.

Many soldiers are afflicted with depression and PTSD when they return home.

"For us to come out and to walk together and to share this experience and share our loss, it's just a very emotional day,” one speaker said. “So thank you for coming out. Thank you for being here to prevent suicide."

Dozens of people gathered in Central Park to talk about suicide.

Many gathered to honor 23-year-old Marine Corp. Charles Ickes III.

"He'd go into a room. He'd smile and it would just light up the room,” said mom Cindy Ickes. “If you were feeling down or sad, Charlie was the one who brightened your day and made you happy."

Chuck and Cindy Ickes are honoring their son by bringing light to this dark issue.

"We need to support everybody in the community who's struggling and suffering and that it's not just the organizations and the VA and everybody else,” Cindy Ickes said. “It's every individual needs to help their neighbor."

Supporting those who need it most is why Scott Wilhelm organized the walk, to bring the issue "out of the darkness."

"Veteran suicide is really, really, really bad. I mean it's 22 veterans a day that kill themselves, so somebody's got to fight it and we're trying to work together to do so," Wilhelm said.

Wilhelm served in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012. Two men he served with took their own lives.

"The two gentlemen were not the people that should have ever committed suicide and yet there they stand in the ground. That's one of those things, you don't know what's inside. They hide it well, if you will.”

Byron and Donna Smith lost their son 5 1/2 years ago at just 32 years old.

"(He) dealt with depression and mental health stuff and he decided to end the pain," Byron Smith said.

They're making it their mission to help educate others.

"This is one of things we want to do because suicide's not talked about very often and it's kind of like the white elephant in the room and nobody talks about it and we need to talk about it a lot because mental health is a big issue nowadays," Byron Smith said.

"It's one of those things where they feel that there's no hope and there's nothing that they can do that can make it better and that's not true,” Wilhelm said. “There's always something. Everybody has a calling. They just need to find what it is."