Shaler teacher bikes 334 miles to raise awareness of veteran suicides

The national average rate of veteran suicides was 17.2 a day in 2019, according to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs report on preventing suicides among veterans.

Shaler Area physical education teacher Adam Rosenwald and Sam Johnson recently pedaled 334 miles on the GAP trail to raise awareness of Pittsburgh Warriors Hockey, a nonprofit that aims to provide catharsis for disabled veterans and enable team members to be even more productive members of society – and to prevent veteran suicides.

Rosenwald, 43, a U.S. Army combat, disabled veteran who served two tours of Afghanistan, is on the board of Pittsburgh Warriors. Johnson is chairman of the board.

The vets pedaled from Pittsburgh’s Point State Park to Georgetown, Md., on the Great Allegheny Passage trail for a “healing ride.”

“It’s something I thought about doing for a long time,” Rosenwald said. “Because of this organization, the opportunity presented itself to do it for a great cause.”

Rosenwald and Johnson left June 27 and reached Georgetown six days later, averaging 55 to 60 miles a day and staying at B&Bs along the way.

This was the second annual Healing Ride for Pittsburgh Warriors, which is dedicated to reducing veteran suicide and offering support services and physical fitness opportunities.

Johnson and Rosenwald have known veterans who have tried or considered suicide. The problem is more serious and pervasive than the general public knows, they said.

The bike ride served as a pilgrimage to honor fallen soldiers known to the nonprofit.

The main activity for the Pittsburgh Warriors is playing hockey once a week. The nonprofit pays for the rink time and helps with equipment. To join the hockey team, a veteran must be honorably discharged and meet other criteria. Hockey experience is not necessary.

Johnson is well-versed in the mental and emotional traumas that remain after a tour in a combat zone.

He served in multiple combat zones including Panama, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Noteworthy was his service in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan, near the border of a tribal region of Pakistan, Johnson said.

“If you are stationed there, it’s guaranteed you will be shot at every day,” he said. “It’s harsh to be for any length of time.”

The ride was a way for both men to acknowledge and work through stressful combat memories.

“We saw some nasty things,” Johnson said. “Riding for hours a day helps you heal.”

It’s that type of camaraderie mixed with physical activity that makes the hockey program, which serves more than 100 vets, successful, the men said.

“You have a locker room to share experiences,” Rosenwald said. “Yes, that person knows where you’ve been and the experiences you had.”

Isolation is a major risk factor for suicide among vets, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

Suicide rates are highest among veterans who are divorced, widowed, or never married, according to the department. Veteran suicide rates are higher for those who live in rural areas, and who have sleep disorders, traumatic brain injury, or a pain diagnosis, they said.

Related:

• Pittsburgh Warriors
• Great Allegheny Passage