Thursday, October 1, 2026
®
The World's Local News Source®
Kings Mountain, NC (WNN) - A man stands upon the stage and recounts the story of his son and how he lost him. Another recounts his own struggles, which almost came to a head in his workshop one day. These men are both veterans, speaking on behalf of Mission 22. They share these moments of vulnerability in their stand against veteran suicide and to make a statement on the importance of communication.
"If we can save one person, then we've done what we came here for today" - Kevin Evans, Mission 22 Ambassador. Mission 22 is a global nonprofit with "united in the war against veteran suicide" as its slogan. With a slew of recovery, health, and wellness programs, their resources help with substance abuse, mental health, and physical well-being of America's veterans.
The annual "Walk and Roll" is only one of their many events to raise awareness for the estimated 22 United States veterans who take their own lives each day. In this event, veterans, their families, friends, and the community walk for 22 hours. Evans recounted that he and Ken Bohannon spent much of the previous night walking despite the rain, in solidarity with their lost brothers.
While the 2025 event was initially planned to feature around 45 vendors at the Kings Mountain YMCA outdoor track, most vendors canceled due to rain. The event was also not able to host the massive flag or flyover due to these conditions. This was not enough to stop these veterans from completing their mission to reach more struggling people. The walk still held its full 22-hour duration from September 26th at 8 PM to the 27th at 6 PM. Lincolnton Post 30 presents the colors on schedule from a new location, preceding two powerful speakers.
Bohannon was the first speaker to share his story after the event's relocation to Kings Mountain Post 155. "We lose people we love every day… but when you lose a child, that puts you in a different mindset, and I've been in a different mindset for 8 years now." Bohannon lost his son on December 2nd, 2017, and recounts how, for a time, he worried he was soon to follow. Ken credits Mission 22 for helping and saving him.
He notes that while telling his story may be hard, it is healing for him, and he hopes that through sharing his message, he can help even one veteran, one family, or one struggling person avoid going through what his family did. Bohannon regretfully admitted that "He didn't know what to look for" before he lost his son. Through the resources offered by Mission 22, Bohannon feels more equipped to point people in the right direction for help.
Bohannon mentions the dangers of holding it in, leading to self-isolation and depression. "We can't help you if we don't know," Ken said, referring to how other veterans from Mission 22 have shown him their support by taking a multi-hour trek to the yearly memorial for his son. "You can't ask for better brothers than that", Bohannon said, showing evident respect for those who have helped him. This shows how vital communication and community are in helping those fighting with mental illness.
Joey Briggs opened with an excerpt from "Viper's Nest" by Steven Gray about one of the missions he experienced while in Afghanistan, facing the Taliban. The infiltration plans had been leaked on Yahoo News, and the commanders decided to proceed with the mission as planned. This led to a bloody firefight where members of his platoon were injured. Briggs, after reading the excerpt, mentioned that he typically avoids revisiting that due to the trauma of the experience.
He goes on to speak on how, after leaving the military, he and his buddies would go to the VA, and when complaining about pain, would be given OxyContin. These prescriptions, combined with PTSD and drinking, led to him losing more of his battle buddies off the field than on it. Due to this, he started a group called "Band of Brothers, Lincolnton, NC", a connections group where the former director of veteran services would share knowledge about veteran benefits.
This led Briggs from a path of beginning to work in Veteran Services, and he soon started having nightmares about his time in Iraq. After a stint of being unable to sleep, he found himself in his building with his brand new Glock 43. The PTSD and sleeplessness led Joey to believe he could fix everyone's problems right then. Thankfully, he snapped out of it and realized he would only be creating more problems for his loved ones.
Despite helping those in his same position every day, Briggs contemplated not telling anyone. Upon finally asking a friend to watch his guns for the time being, he had his own advice of "get your butt in the car, and get to the VA" pushed back on himself. This resulted in them giving him medication to aid in sleep and him getting the proper mental care needed to be still helping others today. Briggs claims this is when his journey of understanding began.
It takes the support of a whole community, and Mission 22 isn't the only support available locally for veterans. Each organization has differing areas of focus, such as Wreaths Across America, which helps remember the fallen by taking sponsors and placing balsam wreaths on the graves of veterans each year. Their next local event will be a Boston Butt sale that will take place on October 4th, 2025, at Long Shoals Wesleyan Baptist Church. You can see more about the price and location here.
Also in attendance were members of American Legion Posts 30 and 155. While Post 30 presented the colors, they are also gearing up for the 2025 Ralph Sisk Memorial Car Show/Fly-In. In the last year, they were able to raise over $12000 with a show featuring over 400 cars and planes to support local veterans. Post 155 will host the Shriners Children's Hospital next weekend on October 4th, 2025, with a BBQ and car raffle. These are all great options for the community to show support and for veterans to meet other veterans, thereby opening up the lines of communication.
The Cleveland County EMS Community Paramedic Program also offers support to the entire community. They help address social and health needs that may not be addressed on your typical trip to the ER. They help with substance abuse recovery and mental health problems, as well as offering CPR and stop the bleed courses. This is also partnered with PORT, or the Post-Overdose Response team, which helps people in the 24 to 72 hours after an overdose.
All of these organizations want to help those who may be struggling. If you need help, remember it is ok to reach out. There is a strong community waiting to see you become a part of it. Some links to crisis resources are below:
Veterans Crisis Line - 1-800-273-8255
Veterans Crisis Text Line - 838255
The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - Call 988
For further WNN articles and news stories, visit https://wisenewsnetwork.com
For more WNN video news stories, visit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wisenewsnetwork
Contact WNN at newsdesk@wisenewsnetwork.com
North Carolina Press Association Member
©️Copyright 2025 Wise News Network. All rights reserved.
