A veteran was spotted last week walking down Mt. Juliet Road with an American flag to raise awareness.
Mt. Juliet resident SGT Melvin Gatewood is helping to raise awareness concerning veteran suicide and mental health issues that veterans face.
He is an Operation Iraqi Freedom and Purple Heart recipient, and Co-Founder/President of Operation Continued Service 501(c)(3).
His walk on Monday is what he calls a “ruck,” symbolizing the weight of the world that veterans carry during and after service.
Watch SGT Melvin Gatewood’s interview with the City of Mt Juliet here.
About Operation Continued Service:
Operation Continue Service supports the veteran community by performing memorial rucks, recovery rucks, and hosting veteran coffee socials. Rucking is a military term for walking with a weighted backpack. A memorial ruck is performed to honor and remember fallen military personnel lost in the line of duty. A recovery ruck is performed to bring awareness to veteran suicide and mental health issues. The ruck symbolizes the weight that veterans carry during and after military service. Lastly, the veteran coffee social is intended to bring veterans together to socialize and receive information from local, state, and federal agencies. Operation Continue Service aims to assist with starting coffee socials throughout Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi by connecting with community partners and veteran stakeholders.
You can learn more at operationcontinueservice.com.
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