Veterans paddle kayaks 22 miles across Sound to draw attention to the 22 suicide deaths of vets daily 

Patchogue resident Jim Lavoie paddled his kayak across Long Island Sound onto the beach in Port Jefferson, thinking of his fellow veterans who'd had too much to bear and had taken their own lives.

The Navy veteran, who served aboard the USS Eisenhower for more than three years, was among 26 kayakers who paddled 22 miles from Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Friday. The trip was in recognition of the 22 veterans a day, on average, who die by suicide, many suffering from PTSD.

Standing on the beach holding his 7-year-old daughter, the 46-year-old Lavoie choked up thinking of the veterans lost because of mental health issues.

About 200 cheering supporters stood on the beach waving American flags to greet the kayakers after their six-hour trip.

It was Lavoie's first time joining the kayaking trip founded by the group 22PAC, or the 22 PTSD Awareness Challenge. 

"It was a lot of emotions. We feel … why are you there? Twenty-two guys. Every day," he said. "It was fun, though it was rough. You thought you're gonna be good the whole way. Halfway through your legs start tightening up, and you kind of you don't even feel them anymore. I didn't feel my legs until you guys started cheering."

Organizer Frank Lombardi, a Desert Storm veteran, started the event to raise awareness of PTSD and veteran suicides in 2016, when a member of his cycling team took his life during a veterans' cycling trip.

But, he said, though the kayak trip has raised awareness of the issue, the number of lives lost has increased, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID made everything worse, and it didn't help with mental health. Veterans do not do well with isolation, and there was an uptick in alcohol consumption and drug issues," Lombardi said. "We're raising awareness and letting veterans know they're not alone. There's help out there.

"It's OK to not be OK, and it's OK to need help. You can't be Captain America to everyone," Lombardi said.

Friday's trip also connected veterans to services and resources, such as local American Legions, VFWs, benefits and peer-to-peer support.

Officials say it's difficult to pinpoint the number of veterans who die by suicide, as statistics may not include certain causes of death, such as overdoses.

Marcelle Leis, deputy director of the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency,  said the county mirrored the national average of veteran suicides.

"Events like these promote awareness and bring resources together to let veterans know resources are out there," Leis said. "We engage where they are in the community, and only a third of veterans access VA services. Someone might be struggling and we try to … show people they can ask for help when we as a culture don't always ask for help."

Officials with the Long Island Crisis Center, which has a hotline for veterans, said they received 42 suicide-related calls in the past year, 26 about a potential diagnosis of PTSD and 10 more that discussed both issues.

The crisis center hotline can be reached by calling 516-679-1111  or the national suicide lifeline by dialing 988.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.