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Fayetteville veteran walking 1,800 miles for suicide awareness

A Fayetteville veteran is going for the longest walk of his life to raise awareness about suicide and depression.

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By
Gilbert Baez
, WRAL Fayetteville reporter
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A Fayetteville veteran is going for the longest walk of his life to raise awareness about suicide and depression.

Greg Washington graduated from Pine Forest High School in Fayetteville. He was a football star at West Point and, in 2005, graduated as a second lieutenant.

In 2006, his two best friends from West Point were killed in action.

Washington was medically discharged from combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011, and that's when the depression set in.

"One day, I felt like the pain that I was enduring was never going to go away, and I found myself getting ready to commit suicide," Washington said.

Greg Washington graduated from Pine Forest High School in Fayetteville. He was a football star at West Point and, in 2005, graduated as a second lieutenant.

Washington sought help and is now OK. He is planning to walk 1,800 miles from Mississippi to West Point to honor his friends and bring awareness to the increased number of suicides within the military.

"There will be 25 stops along the way, and at each stop, we'll host a mental health rally where we'll be connecting communities to local and state mental health resources," Washington said.

Veterans reside in every county in North Carolina, and countless men and women suffer from depression.

If you or a friend or loved one needs help, the number for the Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255. You can also find more information online.

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