Blake Hall
On Good Friday, Alaska Army National Guard soldier Richard Mitchell did not observe the religious holiday with family or his community. Instead, he carried a large wooden cross to the peak of Flattop Mountain in memory of military veterans who took their own lives.
Flattop Mountain is 3,510 feet tall. During Mitchell’s trek, he had to fight snow and blistering cold winds to reach the top, all while carrying 60 pounds of gear and a wooden cross. It was because of the challenges that Mitchell felt the climb was important to accomplish.
“I just felt called to do it,” Mitchell said to Alaska Dispatch News. “It made me remember why I’m here on this earth, and I also wanted to do it for people out there suffering from depression and contemplating suicide. For me, religion has always helped.”
The Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that 22 military veterans commit suicide every day. This rate translates to one veteran death every 64 minutes. Compounding this tragic pattern is the fact that many veterans do try to seek treatment for mental illness or suicidal thoughts. In February 2016, one veteran committed suicide a day after his call to his local VA clinic was sent to voicemail. In March 2016, another veteran took his own life by setting himself on fire outside the clinic that failed to help him.
The 24 year-old is a National Guard soldier in the Bravo Company 1-143rd Infantry Airborne Regiment. While Mitchell hasn’t known anyone who committed suicide, he does know others who have been affected by such a tragedy.
“It’s a sad thing. Twenty-two veterans committing suicide every day, and it shouldn’t be that way,” he said.