Terry Sharpe will walk as far as it takes to make the veterans’ plight known.

US Marine and Vietnam Veteran Terry Sharpe is taking 600,000 steps to help bring awareness to the dozens of veterans who lose their lives to suicide every day. He is planning to walk from Summerfield, North Carolina to Washington, D.C. not only to raise the issue of veteran suicide, but to bring light to some of the other plights that tend to plague many veterans, like housing and access to proper healthcare.

Sharpe gave a local news crew the statistics: veteran suicide is now up to 32%, and for Vietnam veterans in particular, that number is 65%. This is Sharpe’s seventh walk in six years. Sharpe says his motivation lies in his passion to help people at all costs. The walk alone is 300 miles, but he says the pain he will endure is worth it. This is why he is referred to as “The Walking Marine”.

When a news reporter asked him what inspired him to keep walking, his response was simply, “because I’ve got to do it.”

It will take Sharpe approximately 22 days to reach the nation’s capital. That number 22 represents the number of veterans who die every day due to suicide. Sharpe says his mission is to take those veterans away from their dark past, inform civilians of what’s going on, and to simply check in on other veterans and see whether or not they need help.

Evan Williams Bourbon Whiskey Company is presenting Sharpe with a $10,000 check as he is their 2019 Evan Williams American Hero honoree. This honor will take place at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reidsville, North Carolina.