A Marine veteran is skateboarding 2,426 miles across the country, to South Carolina in hopes of shedding light on veteran suicides.
Sean Delaire will make the trek alone and with a large backpack filled with camping supplies. He’s planning on skateboarding from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, where he graduated recruit training, to the only other Marine recruiting depot in the U.S., in Beaufort, S.C.
Delaire served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2007 to 2011. He said he had a veteran friend who died of suicide and wants to raise awareness on the topic.
“It’s something that people just don’t know about,” he said. “I don’t want other people to feel alone.
He said that after he served in the military, he battled depression and turned to alcohol to cope.
But then skateboarding helped him through his emotions, he said.
“You got to have something to take your mind off it,” he said. “A lot of vets feel like they have to tough it out.”
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Delaire plans on embarking on the cross-country trip soon, once he does some “practice runs” on his skateboard while carrying his oversized pack.
He plans to return to San Diego by plane.
“Once I get there I’m packing it up and going home,” he said.
