{"id":1060,"date":"2017-07-20T03:53:22","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T07:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2017-07-20T03:53:22","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T07:53:22","slug":"toms-river-marine-vet-to-ruck-it-22-kilometers-to-help-returning-service-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/tomsriver\/2017\/07\/toms-river-marine-vet-to-ruck-it-22-kilometers-to-help-returning-service-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Toms River Marine Vet to ‘Ruck It’ 22 Kilometers to Help Returning Service Members"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>

The Ma Deuce Deuce pickup truck.<\/p><\/div>\n

Dennis Addesso was convinced to join the military by a friend, and when he entered the U.S. Marine Corps, wanted to try something unique.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said to the recruiters, \u2018teach me something I won\u2019t learn in college,'\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

The Corps delivered:\u00a0Addesso, of Toms River, became a Russian linguist and then, as the middle eastern threat grew before 9\/11, an Arabic linguist. He then served in Iraq during the March 2003 invasion and in the gruesome aftermath that followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe invasion was mostly Iraqis giving up, and us cleaning up after them,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it was totally different the second time.\u00a0I volunteered and went back for a second tour, and there was a lot more carnage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effects of that carnage began to pile up after\u00a0Addesso left the Marine Corps in 2005.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had PTSD, I was struggling for years with medications, drinking, and even finding comfort in food \u2013 cheeseburgers and stuff,\u201d he said, adding that his marriage was falling apart as well.<\/p>\n

\"Dennis<\/a>

Dennis Addesso in Iraq. (Photo: Dennis Addesso)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was the support of fellow veterans in a unique program called Operation Restored Warrior<\/a> that turned his life around. And it has since become his life\u2019s work, including a 22-kilometer \u201cruck walk\u201d starting in Brick and marching up and down the barrier island to the Seaside Heights boardwalk to raise money so other returning veterans can have the same experience he did.<\/p>\n

Addesso helped found Ma Deuce Deuce, an organization that raises funds to send veterans to Operation Restored Warrior and similar programs. Fashioned MA22, the organization is named after the Browning MA-2 .50 caliber machine gun, which soldiers and Marines call the \u201cMa Deuce.\u201d The \u201cDeuce Deuce\u201d was added to represent the 22 veterans who commit suicide each day after suffering the effects of PTSD when they return to the United States after serving.<\/p>\n

Operation Restored Warrior is held in a serene setting in Lake Tahoe, Calif. Run by former special forces operators and others who have seen the brutality of war close up, ORW brings veterans together to speak openly and find peace. Despite his troubles,\u00a0Addesso first thought the program wasn\u2019t for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t no Rambo, so I didn\u2019t think I was good enough to go,\u201d he said. \u201cThe second year, my brother-in-law and I just said, \u2018screw it, let\u2019s go.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very intimate program,\u201d\u00a0Addesso said. \u201cFive other dudes, six veterans at once, and we just tell our stories. It\u2019s also faith-based. \u201cI was able to drop that weight I was carrying around for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addesso\u2019s story could have turned out like so many others.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight before going, I was on the way of being divorced with my wife and looking for jobs back in Iraq,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have the balls to commit suicide, but I was welcoming death. I figured if I went back to the war zone, it\u2019d happen eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

ORW changed all that. And in between jobs,\u00a0Addesso started MA22 with a hulking Ford F-350 pickup, wrapped in camouflage and raised with gigantic tires, that he and his brother-in-law would take to car shows, VFW posts and American Legion halls around the state. The truck drew attention, and spurred others to get involved with fundraising.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo reach out to other vets like me, that was my paycheck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Nobody at MA22 collects a salary. All of the money goes directly to send veterans to experiences like ORW (and a few dollars here and there to keep the truck running). Sending a veteran to ORW takes a significant amount of money \u2013 not only is there the inherent cost of its location, but no expense is spared in making the experience valuable and worthwhile. There is even a five-star chef on hand to cook meals.<\/p>\n

MA22 is also partnering to raise funds to send veterans to Warhorse SCUBA<\/a>, a diving program run by Brick police officer (and Army and Air Force veteran)\u00a0John Gannaio. Warhorse SCUBA is another unique approach to helping returning veterans get\u00a0reacclimatized\u00a0to their home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s all this crap going on in their heads \u2013 fighting this, fighting that,\u201d\u00a0Addesso said. \u201cI did a pool session, and when I was sitting on the bottom, for the first time in a long time, it was just quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

This weekend\u2019s Ruck Walk will begin Saturday at 7 a.m. at \u00a0Traders Cove Marina in Brick. More than 150 marches \u2013 many carrying 22-pound rucksacks in honor of the 22 veterans per day who end their lives \u2013 will march 22 kilometers over the Mantoloking Bridge and up and down Route 35, eventually ending on the Seaside Heights boardwalk later in the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone can show up\u201d to march, said\u00a0Addesso.<\/p>\n

The group is also looking for people to sponsor walkers and businesses to sponsor MA22\u2019s events. It costs $22 to participate.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0Addesso, MA22 is not only a labor of love, but part of his own healing process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a restored heart, it makes everything better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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