Veterans attorney Daniel Smith was on hand at Saturday night’s Florida Everblades home hockey game as part of a fundraising event for the Vets Ride 4 PTSD.During the second intermission, Bosley & Bratch was one of several groups that were invited on-ice as George Tice, one of the organizers behind the Vets Ride 4 PTSD, addressed the crowd with details of the bike ride.
Vets Ride 4 PTSD
The Vets Ride 4 PTSD is a 480-mile bike ride from Lee County to Tallahassee to raise awareness about PTSD and the high rate of suicide in the military. In a press release about the ride, Tice stated that one in eight veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan show signs of PTSD. A military person takes his or her own life every day.
Tice states that his ultimate goal is to put together a suicide hotline that would effectively a soldier who is at imminent risk for suicide. He suggests a response team that will get to the veteran for an in-person meeting within three hours of a distressed call. Currently, he says that vets who call the line may be left on hold.
During the ride, Tice will meet with active duty family members, veterans and the public on his way to Tallahassee.
The bike ride is October 27, 2012.