Events to Benefit Unbroken Warriors

New Jersey Shore Walk

Michael Dowens is a disabled U.S. Navy veteran – and a Holmdel Township Police Officer – who is aspiring to raise money and awareness for fellow service men and women who suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through a foundation he and his wife Christine have established, called Unbroken Warriors. In June 2016, together with two other fellow veterans, he rucked over the course of three days for 237 miles, from the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, NJ to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. “Rucking” is an activity that gets its name from “ruck sacks,” which is the military term for backpacks. Rucking means marching or walking while wearing your ruck sack, which is often loaded down with gear – sometimes up to 200 pounds for many miles, over difficult terrain.

On September 16, Officer Dowens will undertake a new challenge by starting his first New Jersey Shore Walk. He plans to ruck 45 miles of the New Jersey coastline in about 18.5 hours, following Ocean Avenue from Island Beach State Park to Sandy Hook, to raise funds for and awareness of PTSD. Money raised will help start a nonprofit fund to send veterans to The Refuge, an inpatient facility located in Ocklawaha, Florida that specializes in treating individuals who have suffered from PTSD and/or complex trauma. 

As he leads the Unbroken Warriors walk, Officer Dowens will be stopping at various points along the way to carry on the 22 Push-Up Challenge that is spreading on social media, which brings to mind the statistic of 22 veteran suicides a day due to PTSD. The related symptoms of this disease are staggering and each push-up is in honor of those lives lost.

If you’d like to join the walk, bring a donation of $22 (cash or check) and join them anywhere along the route, walking for as long as you wish. More precise times will be located on Facebook by September 14. Participants will receive a free t-shirt for helping disseminate awareness flyers.

Touch-a-Truck Event

On Saturday, September 10, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Unbroken Warriors will hold its first Touch-a-Truck event to help fund PTSD interventions for military veterans. It will take place behind Dearborn Market, at the intersection of Route 35 and Centerville Road in Holmdel. There will be more than 20 construction, agricultural, military, emergency, and occupational vehicles on hand for kids to touch, explore, and sit in, and the owners will be there to speak with them. The cost is $5 per person; infants are free and family admission, for up to six people, is $20. Unbroken Warriors merchandise will also be sold. All proceeds go directly to the fund.

Pour and Paint Night

On Friday, October 14 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Unbroken Warriors will host a Pour and Paint Night at Pinot’s Palette, 12 Broad Street in Red Bank. The cost is $50 per person and the evening will include light hors d’oeuvres, gift raffles, a two-hour guided painting lesson, and supplies for painting. The event is BYOB; glasses, ice, and openers are provided. RSVPs are requested by October 3.

Unbroken Warriors Logo

The logo that was designed for Unbroken Warriors is significant. The 22 stars symbolize the 22 veterans who commit suicide a day, the flag is for the service of all veterans, the teal star is for PTSD awareness, the circle shape is for the never-ending PTSD battle, and the yellow star is for vets with traumatic brain injury, the symptoms of which are often similar to PTSD.

How You Can Help

If you’d like to donate to Unbroken Warriors, send a check payable to Unbroken Warriors to P.O. Box 141, Holmdel, NJ 07733. Online donations can be made through a GoFundMe site at https://www.gofundme.com/unbrokenwarriors. Additional details about Michael Dowens and the organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/unbrokenwarriors. One hundred percent of all proceeds go to fund residential PTSD treatment for veterans.