Goggins Challenge for Veteran Suicide Prevention

My name is Albert Bellamy.

I was a US Marine for 23 years. My wife Sue was a military spouse for 20. Along with our four children, we survived five deployments, combat, years in the field and multiple moves.

We lost friends to suicide, saw marriages crumble and children devastated from the stress of military life. We count ourselves blessed that our faith in God and our commitment to each other saw us through.

Those problems often become worse when servicemembers transition out of the military. They lose a sense of purpose and cameraderie that is difficult to replace.

My wife and I are passionate about supporting veterans and their mental/emotional health.

We firmly believe that the answers are not to be found in large organizations or massive nonprofits with their K Street lobbyists. The way to assist veterans is on a local and personal level.

My American Legion Post 539 in New Bern, North Carolina takes a personal approach to outreach and veteran support. We host weekly get-togethers for breakfast and dinner. We held a Courageous Conversation about the end of the Afghan war that provided emotional relief for many veterans. We conduct a yearly 22-mile march on Veterans Day in honor of the 22 veterans a day who commit suicide.

Every year Sue and I run the "Goggins Challenge" started by retired Navy SEAL David Goggins.

Goggins Challenge:

Run 48 miles in 48 hours

Every 4 hours, you run 4 miles.

We will start the challenge on Friday, March 10 at 10 PM EST.

Our final 4 mile run will be on Sunday March 12 between 6 and 10 PM.

Our original goal was to raise $500 for veteran support programs at our American Legion post. As the contributions have come in, we've reset the goal at $1000, now at $2000.

Anyone who pledges $48 (or more) will have a leg of the race run in their honor.

Sue and I will post on Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram during the event, and we will name the sponsor of each leg, if applicable. You may also request that we name the leg for one of the fallen, or a veteran who lost their mental health battle.

We thank you for your support and prayers!

Semper Fidelis.

God bless our servicemembers, veterans and their families.