LA to Washington, DC Road Rally for Veteran Suicide Prevention Announced
The Rally4Vets staff will be driving two of their race cars from Los Angeles to Arlington National Cemetery in August 2023 in support of the American Legion’s “Be The One” veteran suicide prevention program. The “Be the One” campaign focuses on eliminating the stigma associated with veterans talking about PTSD and suicide. Rally4Vets founder Robert Hess, an Army combat veteran, life American Legion member, and PTSD survivor, will lead the rally.
The rally departs from American Legion Hollywood Post 43 at 10 am August 13, 2023, with the first stop at American Legion Post 519 in Palm Springs, California. Veterans, active duty military, and community members wanting to support America’s veteran community are welcome to attend the ceremony. The full rally route and stops are available on the Rally4Vets website: https://www.rally4vets.com/rally4vetsbetheonedrive Interested supporters are welcome to join the Rally4Vets team along the route or at any of the stops.
“The American Legion National Commander, Vincent J. “Jim” Troiola, challenged all American Legion members to find a way to “Be The One” to help reduce veteran suicide. The 2023 Rally4Vets “Be The One” rally from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, is my answer to that call,” said Hess. “The Rally4Vets team is very excited to be part of this event and the opportunity to visit American Legion posts along the way. The wreath laying at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, at the end of 3,496.4 miles, will be the highlight of the rally.”
Learn about Rally4Vets
The Rally4Vets is a program supporting the Disabled Veteran Empowerment Network (DVEN – https://dven.org/ ) Between 18 and 20 veterans and service personnel take their own lives every day of the year. They commit suicide at a much higher rate than the general population. Depression and stress often lead to PTSD, which is a major suicide contributing factor.
??The Disabled Veteran Empowerment Network (DVEN) created the Rally4Vets program to provide a way for the motorsports enthusiast community to support the disabled veteran community and play an active role in reducing the veteran suicide toll.
??The Rally4Vets program creates motorsports events to increase awareness of veteran issues and generate funds to support important veteran programs.
Program events include trackcross – autocross on a racetrack, road rallies, and car meetups.
Learn about DVEN
DVEN has a Two-fold Mission:
1) To connect disabled veterans, their caregivers, and supporters with benefits provided by the Veterans Administration and other veteran charities that provide genuine support, and
2) To play a meaningful role in reducing the suicide toll of America’s veterans
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