One band of brothers has walked the length of the Kakoda Track to help shine a light on mental health issues impacting Australia's veterans community and raise money in the process.
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The Long Patrol group is raising money for Solider On to help prevent suicide in the veteran community and combat post-traumatic stress disorder.
If the degree of difficulty was not high enough, the Long Patrol planned to walk the entire distance, from Prospect to East Devonport, in one night.
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Coordinator Oliver Breeze said the walkers, who are all Australian Defence Force veterans, took the opportunity to bring awareness to the issue seriously.
"Many of us have served overseas come home with memories and souvenirs from foreign lands, some people come home with life changing conditions and battle PTSD from the atrocities ... these are echoed in their daily lives for the rest of their days," Mr Breeze said.
"Veterans that have served battle those echoes of war everyday and those that fight PTSD have issues like depression, disrupted sleep, they fight conditions that the army or the services don't prepare you for."
While there will be podcasts and playlists on play to keep motivation strong, the reason for the walk is a serious one.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released an update last year monitoring the suicide number among Australian war veterans.
The figures demonstrate a stark reality; male veterans are 21 per cent more likely to die as a result of suicide than the average male. The report showed that for currently serving men and for those in the reserves, the numbers reduced to 11 and 12 deaths per 100,000 respectively.
However, for ex-servicemen, that number grew significantly to 28 deaths per 100,000 people. The rate for female veterans was 16 per 100,000.
Mr Breeze said the group felt duty-bound to help those in need.
"When you sign up to serve our nation, you take an oath to protect our nation's best interests, the guys that are here have either all served overseas or in campaigns like bushfire assist," Mr Breeze said.
"Our moral compass is pretty well calibrated we're doing this to support other veterans who are finding life tough at the moment."
The group were expected at Pioneer Park in East Devonport on Sunday morning after 20 hours of walking, highlighting their grit and mental fortitude for the ever-important cause.
The Soldier On campaign has raised $1 million dollars nationally while the Long Patrol group had raised around $5000 dollars at the time of writing.
For crisis support, call Lifeline: 13 11 14 or Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636.
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