U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Tim Chambers stood on a busy Washington D.C. street corner in his dress blues for 24 hours over Memorial Day weekend in order to raise awareness of veteran suicide, WJLA reported on Monday.
His nonprofit organization the Saluting Marine Cares pays for medical bills that are uncovered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
At the beginning of the first hour, Chambers held a salute for 22 minutes to symbolize the 22 U.S. veterans who commit suicide every day, on average. The salute dropped by one minute each hour, working its way down to zero.
Chambers, a San Diego County resident, started the tradition of standing and saluting in Washington D.C. on Memorial Day weekend in 2002 at the Rolling Thunder event and saluted veterans as they passed by.
“It’s a very emotional time, very emotional,” Chambers’ wife, Lorraine Heist-Chambers said. “This is something that he needs to do every year and I support him for it. No matter what it takes, we get out here.”
When asked what his message was, Chambers, who served as a Marine for 16 years, told CBS8 that "I did not go to war and I feel like I need to honor the eternal sacrifice of those that did and those who didn't come home."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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