Chris Decker and his son, Corey, are on a mission.

Armed with bikes, camping gear and iron wills, they’re riding more than 2,000 miles — from San Diego, California, to Fayetteville, North Carolina — on behalf of nonprofit organization Mission 22 to raise awareness about veterans’ issues.

Many veterans struggle with issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, thoughts of suicide and traumatic brain injuries, according to Mission 22’s website.

Chris, who retired from his career as a principal in 2016 at Rumford Elementary School, served in the Army National Guard’s infantry unit from 1985-1992. His son, Corey, was also in the U.S. Army in the 82nd Airborne Division from 2011-2016.

Because of his experience serving the country, Corey wanted to give back to the other men and women who have fought for the flag.

“It was a good time in Corey’s life to step back and decide where he was going,” Chris said. “He had some soldier friends who were going through a tough time.”

After some research, he discovered that the organization Mission 22 has a singular focus to help veterans with PTSD, TBI and suicide prevention, reflecting the horrifying statistic that about 22 veterans a day commit suicide, according to the nonprofit. Mission 22 boasts an incredibly low overhead, meaning that a vast majority of donations go directly to veterans — not the organization itself.

“There is a cost (often referred to as administration) to any nonprofit organization but many have a huge overhead and pay their CEO a huge salary,” Chris said. “Not so with Mission 22. In addition to their efficiency, our trek across country is totally funded by us. It is part of our contribution to all who have served.”

So Corey began to plan his trip. In November 2016, his father decided to get involved as well.

Chris would bring along his bike, but also a “support vehicle” so the two would have a reliable form of transportation in case of any emergencies or sidetrips.

“For safety purposes, I decided to tag along,” Chris said. “Between the big cities, there are hundreds of miles of nothing. Not only that, but it was an opportunity to further connect and bond with my son.”

The pair set out on Jan. 5, and plan to reach Fayetteville by middle to late April.

Chris also wanted to engage the students of Rumford Elementary School, let them know about his trip and see if they could learn something from it. So he reached out to the school’s librarian, Eileen Broderick, who was delighted to participate. Once a week, students read the blog Chris set up, journaling his and Corey’s travels.

“(The students) are learning a lot,” Broderick said. “He asks questions in his blog (related to geography), and the students research as he travels. Because they know him, it’s a more relatable lesson.”

Not only are the students learning U.S. geography from Chris’ blog, but also important life lessons as well.

“On the civic-minded side of it, they can learn to understand the sacrifices (of the soldiers),” Chris said. “Some teachers or their spouses are veterans, the students know I’m a veteran. I used to do several things for Veterans of Foreign Wars on Veterans day with fifth-graders. The kids feel a connection to the country. Regardless of who won the election, we’re all Americans — and we need to support the people who supported us.”

Broderick is also supplementing the lessons with grammar, punctuation, research methods and explaining the challenging issues associated with PTSD.

“The students use print and digital resources (in their research),” Broderick said. “Some use print maps, some use Google Earth, and sometimes they need both. They read about Mission 22 and ask about PTSD. It’s hard to talk about that with that the age group, but I was surprised that they knew as much as they did already.”

To follow Chris and Corey’s blog, visit campahedu.wordpress.com/blog.

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