Shirtless Marines March To Raise Awareness Of Suicide In Military

Shirtless marines are organizing marches across the United States in an effort to raise awareness about suicide in the military.

Shirtless Marine Vets March

‘22, with 22, for the 22, in silkies’ is the name of the marches, with the idea that 22 (or more) veterans will come together and walk 22 km, carrying 22 kg on their backs in honor of the 22 veterans who kill themselves every day. To join the march, vets are encouraged to wear only silkies — essentially super short shorts — and whatever U.S. flag accessories they so desire.

The purpose of the march, which featured a few bar stops along the way, according to it’s Facebook page, was “to get veterans and our supporters together, to put weight on our backs and feel nostalgic, to laugh, to drink, and remind us that our camaraderie and brotherhood will never die.”

Irreverent Warriors March Coming To NYC

The first 13-mile hike took place in July along the San Diego coast and quickly went viral. Leader, Donny O’Malley, a retired Marine Captain, organized the event through his charity, Irreverent Warriors. Irreverent Warriors is dedicated to helping combat veterans heal their trauma using dark humor.

“In order for us to cope, to process, and to deal with what we’ve done and seen, combat veterans have to get together, we have to be there for each other, we have to be able to talk to each other, laugh about our experiences, and understand that everything we did, thought, and saw, was what we needed to do, think, and see, in order to protect our country,” reads the Irreverent Warriors’ Facebook page.

O’Malley and the Irreverent Warriors are organizing three events this weekend — one in New York City, one in Washington DC and one in Tampa.

In the hopes of raising more awareness for their cause, Irreverent Warriors have issued a challenge to Donald Trump, asking supporters to pledge money to the cause on the condition that Trump join the march in NYC.