Milwaukee VA Medical Center
Vet walks across country for suicide awareness
Tom Zurhellen is walking 22 miles a day from Oregon to New York to raise awareness about suicide and homelessness among his fellow Veterans (photo by Benjamin Slane).
Tom Zurhellen originally had planned on spending his summer writing another novel.
But instead of putting pen to paper, the college professor opted to put his well-worn shoes to the pavement and walk from Oregon to New York to raise awareness about suicide and homelessness among his fellow Veterans.
Zurhellen, a Navy Veteran who teaches English at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, is breaking his cross-country journey of about 2,860 miles into 22-mile segments each day.
The daily goal corresponds to the number of Veterans who commit suicide each day, as cited in a VA study from several years ago, Zurhellen said.
Zurhellen’s trek brought him along the Hank Aaron Trail, which winds past the 150-year-old buildings of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home National Historic Landmark District on the campus of the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.
“I had a year off sabbatical and I was just going to write another novel, but then quite by chance I got this commander job at the local VFW, basically because no one else wanted it,” said Zurhellen, the commander of the Poughkeepsie Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 170. “I’m a Veteran, but I had no idea how much support was needed by our local Veterans in the area of mental health and homelessness.”
“I figured if that was happening in my hometown, it had to be happening all across the country,” he said. “So instead of writing just another silly novel, I decided to use my sabbatical to embark on this crazy adventure.”
Zurhellen also operates VetZero, a non-profit organization with the goal of reducing suicide and homelessness among Veterans to zero. There also is a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $40,837 during his cross-country trek – which he said represents the number of homeless Veterans living on the streets, according to another VA study.
Air Force Veteran Erin Ganzenmuller stopped by The Steaming Cup coffee shop to talk with Zurhellen and express her appreciation (photo by Benjamin Slane).
Since leaving Oregon in mid-April, Zurhellen has doggedly maintained his 3-mph pace through all kinds of weather.
“It was 100 degrees in Sioux City, 98 degrees in Beloit, I hit a snowstorm three or four times, sub-freezing temperatures, so yeah, I’ve seen it all,” said Zurhellen, an alumnus of Beloit College in Wisconsin.
Zurhellen kicked off his walk through the Milwaukee metro area on a sunny Tuesday morning at The Steaming Cup coffee shop in Waukesha.
Among those on hand to offer support was Mike Waddell, a 65-year-old Navy Veteran, who said he had learned of Zurhellen’s walk that morning on Facebook.
“I just figured I’d come down and show him a little love and encourage him, keep him going,” Waddell said. “I think what he’s doing is great.”
Erin Maney, a social worker at the Milwaukee VA, said raising awareness with an aim toward prevention is extremely important.
“I think there’s a lot of media coverage when, unfortunately, there’s a Veteran death by suicide,” Maney said. “But, there’s not always coverage when, every day Veterans are coming in asking for help, getting the help that they need, and going on to live meaningful lives. I think this raises awareness on an everyday level that there’s help out there … what he’s doing is extraordinary.”
Erin Ganzenmuller, a 31-year-old Air Force Veteran and environmental consultant at We Energies, had taken a vacation day to participate in a Guitars for Vets event. When she realized the Waukesha visit coincided with her day off, she wanted to take the opportunity to thank Zurhellen.
“I think it’s an incredible journey to raise awareness for struggles that our Veterans face,” said Ganzenmuller, who also volunteers at Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. “It’s awesome that he came to Wisconsin.”
Zurhellen's route along the Hank Aaron Trail took him through the heart of the Milwaukee VA, where he was greeted by employees and other well-wishers (photo by Benjamin Slane).
Zurhellen’s journey is updated frequently on the VetZero Facebook page – selfies with fellow Veterans and well-wishers; media interviews; and musings while both his mind and body wander across the country. There’s even an occasional video sing-a-long – every thing from Ozzy Osbourn’s “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” to the Ooga-Chaka intro of Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling.”
On many occasions, especially in the early going, Zurhellen admitted he thought about giving up, but those days are now fewer and farther between.
“There was a time up until about a month ago, every day, I was just hitting the wall at about mile 15 or something, and I was like, ‘What am I doing, and it would be so easy to go home,’ and experiencing pain,” he said.
“But then I remember the pain of the Veterans who I’m walking for,” Zurhellen said. “The people who are dealing with mental health issues, and the people who are dealing with homelessness, their pain’s a lot worse than mine. I can go home anytime. It’s like I’m just playing at being a homeless Veteran, but they’re doing it for real. So, when I put in that perspective it gets a lot easier.”
And with that, it was time to once again hit the road. Another 22 miles that represents to him something far greater than just a number.
