VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Veterans Day is fast approaching, a day dedicated to thanking those who served and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. It's also a day a Virginia Beach baseball facility will look to help lower the number 17.
That's the number of veterans who commit suicide each day across the United States.
"It's 6,200 a year that commit suicide," said Craig Colucci, owner of D-Bat in Virginia Beach. "Veterans are 57 percent more likely to commit suicide, sadly, than those who have not served."
Before Colucci got into the business of baseball and softball, serving his country was his calling. He's a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I know our withdrawal from Afghanistan was tough on a lot of Afghan veterans," he recalled. "The one unit I was assigned to, they lost 25 guys and so I think about their families and I think about the other soldiers in that unit. I just want to let people know that it's OK to not be OK and that we're all here for you."
Saturday is Veterans Day and Colucci and D-Bat will open up their facility so that people can take swings for a good cause. They are holding a hit-a-thon, hoping to reach 6,200 hits in all of their batting cages. Each hit recorded will be worth $0.25 and the goal is to reach $18,600 for the day, signifying the number of veterans who have taken their own lives throughout the last three years.
"Baseball is a microcosm of combat," Colucci pointed out. "Within a game, you have the need for resilience to bounce back."
D-Bat has teamed up with two foundations for the event: The Steven A. Cohen Military Clinic and Word of Honor Funds. These organizations work hard to improve the way of life for veterans.
"One of the goals of our clinic is to not only provide counseling, but also family-friendly events that foster community within the military population out here," said Ashli Hill, who is the Outreach Manager for the Steven A. Cohen Military Clinic.
"We have organizations like we're supporting for our Veterans Day event that are really trying to bring that to light more and really trying to help veterans in that aspect, to be able to speak and, like Craig was saying, it's OK not to be OK," added Pat Stafford, the general manager at D-Bat.
The Veterans Day Hit-A-Thon will take place at D-Bat this Saturday from 12:00 PM-8:00 PM. For more information, including how to register, click here.
