Just weeks after returning from his fourth overseas deployment, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Charles Sanders found himself back on familiar ground Sunday morning — leading dozens of North Fork residents on an annual 22-mile journey honoring fallen service members and raising awareness about veteran suicide.

Shortly after 8:30 a.m., Sanders stepped off from Southold American Legion Griswold-Terry-Glover Post 803 at the head of a diverse group of veterans, Junior ROTC members, high school students, firefighters and community volunteers participating in this year’s Walk4Valor.

By the time the group reached the Southold Fire Department nearly eight hours later, they had logged 22 miles, visited firehouses, American Legion halls, Greenport’s Sterling Cemetery, Goldsmith’s Boat Shop and even made an unscheduled stop at the Greenport Rotary Club’s miniature railroad. Along the way, Sanders delivered lessons on service, sacrifice, resilience and citizenship to a generation he said will someday inherit responsibility for the nation and communities that veterans have spent lifetimes defending.

For Sanders, just back from what he described as his most stressful deployment to date, the event something of a homecoming.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be home,” he said. “It’s really great to be back.”

The annual walk, organized by the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation, centers on one sobering statistic: an average of roughly 22 veterans, active-duty service members and family members die by suicide each day. But as Sunday’s event unfolded, another theme emerged — the inspiring sight of dozens of young people voluntarily spending an entire June weekend day walking mile after mile in support of a cause larger than themselves.

That younger demographic was very much on Sanders’ mind as he addressed dozens of teenagers ahead of the walk.

(Photos by Bill Gironda and Peter Fertig)

Standing before a crowd that included students as young as 14, Sanders delivered a blunt but heartfelt talk about suicide and emotional resilience. Using a simple illustration of a lifespan, he explained how young people often struggle to see beyond the painful moments immediately in front of them.

To a teenager, Sanders said, a broken heart, public embarrassment, failure or rejection can feel permanent. through it. He compared life’s hardships to a series of locked doors.

“The older you are, you realize, okay, I know that door is in front of me,” Sanders explained. “I know I can get past it. If I can’t get past it myself, I’m going to call my friends to help me get past it … Every single one of those is an obstacle,” he told the crowd. “The great thing about life is when you stick it out and realize that’s just an obstacle.”

That lesson continued throughout the day. The group visited Greenport’s Sterling Cemetery, where Sanders encouraged the young participants to study the headstones of veterans buried there.

“I want them to take a little time and look at the tombstones, look at the dates, and reflect on their lives.”

‘A blast’

But the day wasn’t all solemn reflection.

The walkers toured Goldsmith’s Boat Shop, shared stories and laughs along Route 25, and in one of the day’s most memorable moments, they made an impromptu stop at the Greenport Rotary Club‘s miniature railroad on Moores Lane.

“It was fun to break it up and do something different,” Sanders said. “It was a blast.”

The Greenport Rotary has been restoring the 75-year-old mini-railroad for the past five years. It re-opened last weekend, following a wholesale restoration of the engine.

“All of us in the club have been working around the clock to get this engine back on track for our opening,” said Greenport rotarian Roger Satnick, who helped put together the Walk4Valor.

Satnick, who had been texting back and forth for months with Sanders while he was deployed overseas, had asked the military man whether he’d be home in time for the walk, which was originally scheduled for May.

“We decided to move it back [to June], because it wouldn’t be a walk without Charles.”

Satnick, who walked the first five miles before heading to work at the mini-railroad, came up with a great, last minute idea.

“I called Peter [Fertig] and Charles up while they were still walking and said, ‘Why don’t you stop at the train, get a little rest? I think the kids would love it.”

The kids did.

‘Carry it forward’

To many observers, the most remarkable part of the day was the kids themselves.

Again and again, organizers found themselves marveling at the sight of teenagers willingly spending an entire June Sunday walking mile after mile in support of veterans they had never met.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Sanders said. “This is how you inculcate into kids a sense of community. They need to see from us what we believe in and what we stand for.”

Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation rep Peter Fertig said the youth participation continues to grow every year.

“Think about it — you’ve got the fire department, the American Legion, the Rotary, Junior ROTC. They all took hold,” Fertig said. “Last year we had maybe 15 or 20 kids. This year we had closer to 25 to 30. So we’re moving in the right direction.”

At one point, several students asked to carry the American flag themselves.

“They took it from Charles,” Fertig recalled. “They said, ‘I’d like to be able to carry it forward,’ and they did. They each took turns.”

To Fertig, those moments represented exactly what the event is designed to accomplish.

“We talk about service, sacrifice, being a good citizen and leaving a good legacy,” he said. “These kids embody that.”

John Christina, the Southold American Legion veteran overseeing major improvements to the post grounds, was equally impressed. Watching them throughout the day, he said, was inspiring.

“I thought most of them would do the five-mile and take off,” Christina said. “They were all in it for the long run.”

Sanders wasn’t surprised many of them completed the entire route.

“It’s our mind that always gets in our way,” he said. “Their insecurities are what keep them behind. But their bodies and their capabilities can overcome that. They realize they can overcome it with their minds.”