Army

Green Beret Appalachian Trail Walk and Fundraiser- Support the Regiment

“Never Leave a Man Behind”

The men of the Special Forces Regiment are doing a fundraiser for the Green Beret Foundation to help raise money by walking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. A group of retired Special Operators from SF Brothers (a Facebook group of SF soldiers) are putting teams together to hike from Georgia to Maine to support the cause.

The Green Beret Foundation is an organization that provides direct and continuous support to the Green Beret Community and its families. The Green Beret Foundation facilitates the transition of Green Berets and their families whether that transition is from wounds sustained in combat, illness, injury or “merely” from numerous deployments and/or retirement.

They provide Casualty Support, Extended Support, Family Support, and Transition Support for the Special Forces operators who have been injured in the line of duty. Over 800 Green Berets and 1000 families have received support from the foundation. And 90 percent of funds raised go towards their programs.

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“Never Leave a Man Behind”

The men of the Special Forces Regiment are doing a fundraiser for the Green Beret Foundation to help raise money by walking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. A group of retired Special Operators from SF Brothers (a Facebook group of SF soldiers) are putting teams together to hike from Georgia to Maine to support the cause.

The Green Beret Foundation is an organization that provides direct and continuous support to the Green Beret Community and its families. The Green Beret Foundation facilitates the transition of Green Berets and their families whether that transition is from wounds sustained in combat, illness, injury or “merely” from numerous deployments and/or retirement.

They provide Casualty Support, Extended Support, Family Support, and Transition Support for the Special Forces operators who have been injured in the line of duty. Over 800 Green Berets and 1000 families have received support from the foundation. And 90 percent of funds raised go towards their programs.

From the trail guide: The Appalachian Trail is about 2200 miles in length and runs from north Georgia to central Maine.   It generally follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Trail is managed by a combination of the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.   It is maintained by a host of nonprofit organizations.

Sometimes called “The Long Green Tunnel”, it is mostly under the cover of trees.   It can be very harsh in ascents, descents, and the rockiness of the trail.

Only a small percentage of those who attempt a thru-hike are able to complete the trail. (They never met a bunch of SF guys)

This is a great opportunity to get out and join a group of retired Green Berets from the SF Brothers group on Facebook and strap on the rucksack and walk with them a spell to show some support. If you can’t make it, you can donate to cause by giving what you can right here:

I’ve been in contact with an old 7th SFG trooper, Will Melton, who has kindly passed on some pics of the brothers, hitting the trail with their rucksacks back on. You can’t ever keep good men down. Will and his dog Miss Jackie are taking on some 560 miles of the trail. Which is about 25 percent of the total length. That’s what you call an endurance march. Some 30-something years after the Q-course, Will is putting in what definitely qualifies as a “Long Range Movement.” Tip of the Beret for that!

 

 

Former SFers from SF Brothers gather at the start of the trail after a storm delayed the start
Will Melton and J.C. Hiett display the SF Regimental flag which will fly over the encampment on the way.

For you ruckers out there. Check out the schedule and attached spreadsheet on the website, you can see when the SF Brothers are passing by your area. You don’t have to join the hike officially but show some support and hike with them for a day or maybe a weekend. It is for a great cause and will be a heckuva lot of fun as well. One can only imagine the war stories being told around the campfires at night along the trail or in the huts that the Appalachian Mountain Club provides on the route.

As much as I hate the old ALICE pack (and said I’d never put it on again), I’m breaking mine out, and when the SF troopers hit the Massachusetts border sometime in late July, I’ll be trying to join them for a piece of the trail to show some support and join in on the fun. I thought about purchasing a better civilian model, but for a short duration, it is time to break out the old pain pill. We’ll have coverage on it right here.

For more information on the Green Beret Trail Walk click here:

Cover photo courtesy Green Beret Foundation, Other photos courtesy of Will Melton

About Steve Balestrieri View All Posts

Steve is a SOFREP Senior Editor. He has served as a Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. He writes for SOFREP and covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers.

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