Operation Run For Their Lives - Delta Lima Campaign 2021

My name is Dustin Canestorp and I’m a United States Marine Corps combat Veteran that suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and survivor’s guilt. There have been stretches of my life where a day didn’t go by that I didn’t think of killing myself. I discovered adventure racing in an effort to develop new coping skills to deal with my demons and helped establish the Bravo Alpha Initiative, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit.

My introduction to adventure racing, sports - specifically running goes back to my childhood, running was normal everyday life while serving in the Marine Corps, but it wasn’t until my post military career when adventure racing and running became a calling for a higher purpose… to save my life.

On 28 February 2020, Dustin “Swammie” Lang became one of the many Veterans that lost the battle to his PTS. Swammie was a fellow Marine Corps combat Veteran who completed three tours to Iraq, was a recipient of the Purple Heart Medal and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

On 28 February 2021, I will be one of a handful of individuals participating in an inaugural event called the Swammie Shuffle 200. This affair is an adventure race on foot with a route that starts at 209 Sand Bridge Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia - heads south along the Outer Banks and around Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina - heads north back to the starting point in Virginia for a total of 200 miles.

My financial goal listed above of $11,388 is not an arbitrary number. No, that is the number of Veterans that committed suicide last year in 2020! As if that number isn’t high enough alone, it doesn’t include the ever elusive amount of suicides committed by First Responders in 2020.

I’m asking to you to please consider pledging your support anywhere in the amount of $0.05 - $0.25 per mile. If you can’t contribute financially, then I’m asking for your nonmonetary support and humbly request you share this campaign liberally (OperationRFTL.com) with all your friends, family, coworkers, etc.

I will be webcasting as much as possible on the Bravo Alpha Initiative (BAI), Delta Cane and my personal Facebook page so you can follow along on my progress during the event.

This fundraiser is to raise money for the nonprofit called the Bravo Alpha Initiative (BAI). Their mission is to support Veterans and First Responders in their efforts to recover from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and prevent Self Destructive Actions (SDA). In 2007 the Veterans Administration (VA) published a report that stated that Veterans are killing themselves at a rate of 22 per day. Since that time the statistics have changed and in 2019 the VA updated their report and announced the number is now 31.2 suicides per day. That means 1 Veteran is killing themselves every 40 minutes!

BAI defines First Responders as police, fire fighters and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel. Many Veterans that leave active duty in the military find a lot of familiarity in the domestic uniform services of First Responders. There is no overarching organization that governs First Responders nationwide. Statistics on First Responder suicides are highly under reported. However, through research the following statement is true… there are more First Responders that die by their own hand than in the line of duty! Think about that for a minute, it is a staggering fact.

This is an epidemic of epic proportions and we are asking for your monetary and non-financial support. The scars of our Veterans and First Responders may not be visible but the pain is real. This is OUR pain, this is YOUR pain and TOGETHER we can turn these obstacles from an obstruction to “The Way.”

You can find out more about Bravo Alpha and the work they do by visiting them online at https://bravoalpha.org/

You can find out more about myself (if you are that bored. LOL) and background by visiting https://deltacane.org/

-Note: This website from Pledge It has been generous enough to let us use their platform for free. If you decided to pledge your financial support, you’ll be asked if you want to provide a contribution to them as well. This is strictly up to you but please understand that Bravo Alpha Initiative doesn’t receive any of this tipped amount and all of the tipped funds goes to Pledge It. Pledge It has been used by other notable nonprofits like St. Jude, American Cancer Society, etc. We appreciate Pledge It’s support and your understanding.