Soldiers, civilians walk from Dallas to Fort Worth to support mental health care for veterans

It's arduous, at times uneven, and for some, topped with a heavy load.

Darrin Beheler, and a group of both soldiers and civilians, began their 50-mile  journey as the sun rose over downtown Dallas Friday morning.

“The worst part is my feet. That's always it,” said Beheler.

They’ll end it long after the sun sets, 18 hours later on the steps of Fort Worth city hall.

“Now is when everything starts hurting. You know, that monkey crawls in your brain and starts tapping that drum, you don't have to do this. You don't have to do this,” he said.

Still, while stopped for a dinner break at the 32-mile mark, Beheler said he’ll continue.

This ruck, a test of grit and endurance, is hosted by 50 for the Fallen, a non-profit that Chad Conley dreamt up in 2020 to support mental health care for veterans.

“I got tired of my friends dying from combat and from suicide. And then during 2020, when everyone was separated due to COVID, I went out for a long walk and it turned into a 50-miler that I needed to clear my head. And through that, I found a little clarity through the tears,” said Conley.

The next year, Conley and Beheler, who met while serving in the Army Special Forces, helped raise thousands of dollars to provide outpatient treatment for former special ops forces with a 50-mile ruck through New York City on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

As former Green Berets, mental health challenges are something both know all too well.

Beheler who signed up to serve in the wake of 9/11 was deployed 10 times over 15 years.

“One of my worst things that’s happened to me in the military is TBI. You talk to just about any special forces guy or special operations guy who does Halo or has been deployed as many times as I did, you’re going to get blown up. You’re going to have bad crashes, it’s part of the job. But you know, it’s what we signed up for,” said Beheler.

But when it comes to care, he said bureaucratic delays or a lack of federal funding gets in the way for far too many veterans.

“We’ve had guys who've killed themselves, came home and didn't know how to deal with what they saw, what they did,” he said.

That’s why Beheler keeps walking and encouraging others, both soldiers and civilians to join.

It’s a journey that Conley said will challenge those who participate while providing purpose.

“At the end of it we're going to say, “I don't know why but I’m talking about this or I feel this’," he said.

Through the Dallas-Fort Worth Ruck, 50 for the Fallen hopes to collect $20,000 dollars in donations.

At their halfway point Friday, Conley said $12,000 had come in.

The next ruck will begin on Nov. 4 in Green Bay, Wisconsin and end on the field of Lambeau Field during halftime of the Packers game against the Rams.