Barefoot cross-country walker Ron Zaleski steps up for veterans' mental health issues

Vietnam-era veteran Ron Zaleski not only talks the talk — he also walks the walk.

In 2010, the Long Island native walked barefoot across the country — from Concord, Massachusetts, to Santa Monica, California — to bring awareness to the issues of veteran suicide and depression.

It wasn’t the first time he hiked a long distance barefoot with that mission.

Between 2006 and 2007, he walked the Appalachian Trail, starting in Maine, and ambled through Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, finishing in Georgia.

Starting last year and ending this year, Zaleski, 74, and his son, Omar Rose, walked from Key West, Florida, to San Diego to continue to raise awareness and accountability for the veteran suicide crisis.

On the way back to Florida, they drove. And they stopped in different communities along the way to offer training to 100 people on how to support struggling veterans.

“We want to help veterans make the transition to home and help change their quality of life,” said Zaleski, a Marine and founder of The Long Walk Home, a Florida-based nonprofit aimed at supporting veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. “It’s not only about awareness but what you do with it.”

Zaleski was at a media event at Huntington Town Hall on Friday to share information about the nonprofit and its main program, which uses a framework built around goal setting, personal relationships, habits, anger management, gratitude and forgiveness, all to help veterans lead a healthy, productive and fulfilling life.

The program aims to stop veterans from committing suicide and help them reflect and reconnect with themselves and their communities. According to a 2024 VA study, There were 6,407 veteran suicides in 2022, an average of 17.6 per day. There were 47,891 suicides that same year among all adults in the United States.

The program also offers help to veteran families. 

Zaleski served from 1970 to 1972 at Camp Pendleton, California, as a clerk typist. He was born in Southampton — on Nov. 11, Veterans Day — and lives in Venice, Florida.

Huntington Town Clerk Andrew Raia, who was instrumental in bringing Zaleski to Huntington to share his message, said he wanted to do so because Suffolk County has one of the largest populations of veterans in the country and the town has a large active veteran community.

“When I heard the story of Ron and how passionate he is on this issue, and knowing we had an opportunity to get him right here in Huntington and expand his scope of services across the country, we jumped at it,” Raia said. “He is an inspiration to me, he is an inspiration to our veterans, an inspiration to our country, and I think we owe it to ourselves if he’s got a program that works to spread the word.”

According to 2023 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 81,000 military veterans live in Nassau and Suffolk counties, Newsday reported last year.

After his presentation, Zaleski spoke to Newsday and shared what inspires him, the meaning behind his barefoot walks and his future plans.

What is the meaning of the name of your organization, The Long Walk Home?

“Because when we [veterans] get home, most of us don’t make it home; we visit, because we [feel that we] don’t belong there anymore, we don’t fit because we see the world in a whole different way. We were young when we went in, and naive and innocent, for the most part. So, it’s getting back to that place — home — but it’s a long walk.”

You stopped wearing shoes in 1972 — why?

Though he did not go to Vietnam, he said he suffered with anger and guilt for years afterward, especially after learning that some members of his squadron had been killed and injured in combat. "It’s in memory of my fallen squadron. They fought for my freedom so I can do what I want. ... I’m not wearing shoes because I don’t like them. So they fought for that freedom, and I’m going to use it.”

Why do you do what you do?

"I was consumed with anger after my time in the service. Anger is fear. Anger is an emotion, and it still pops up, but it’s what I do with it now when I’m conscious; I pause and take a breath. I ask myself, 'Is it worth it?' and, 'What do I want to get out of this?' "

He described walking as a channel for anger. "Because of the damage we do after we get home. We're angry and our anger spills over into our family and we destroy families. I want that to end, the anger."

What can people do to help veterans? 

“Talk to them, because what’s real is connection. Talking and trying to get to know one another. ... People say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ The words are just that. How are you thanking that guy? What I would like people to say is, 'Thank you for your service — what can I do for you?'"

What’s up for next year?

"We’re going to do tours where we walk for three to four weeks at a time, and then we’ll get four to six people to walk with us, so they can experience what we do. Because I can explain it to you, but you don’t know ... experience it, then you’ll know. We realized we can do it more effectively and efficiently that way." 

To find out more about the organization, go to thelongwalkhome.org.