Disabled Army vet walks across Connecticut to raise awareness for veterans' issues

Disabled Army veteran Russell Edgett started The Freedom Isn't Free ride and is taking steps to help his fellow soldiers once they return home from service.

News 12 Staff

Jul 12, 2019, 6:57 PM

Updated 1,742 days ago

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Disabled Army vet walks across Connecticut to raise awareness for veterans' issues
A disabled veteran is walking from Fairfield to Hartford to raise awareness for other veterans who return from war and often feel left behind.
Disabled Army veteran Russell Edgett started The Freedom Isn't Free ride and is taking steps to help his fellow soldiers once they return home from service. The Freedom Isn't Free ride aims to raise awareness of veterans' issues, especially homelessness and invisible wounds.
After returning from Afghanistan in 2014, Edgett says he and his wife had trouble finding housing because they didn't met criteria to receive necessary benefits from the VA. He says some veterans who are wounded don't get the help or assistance they need because the trauma they suffered isn't visible.
"A lot of people would rather see the wound whether it be a missing leg or a missing arm because you can repair those, you can get a prosthetic leg or arm, With my issues, my main issues are PTSD and a traumatic brain injury, and you can't really replace that," says Edgett.
The walk is expected to take 24 hours.
Click HERE for more information.


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