Meet Jimmy Novak: The Walking Man.
Jimmy Novak, a 42-year-old retired soldier, made a goal for himself to walk 22 miles a day starting from Washington on March 22 and ending in Orlando on Aug. 22. Why? The answer is simple: 22 veterans die by suicide every single day.
Novak spent 21 years of his life defending our nation in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, and his decision to take this trek of 3,000 miles across the continental United States stems from the rising rate of suicide amongst veterans. Struggling with thoughts of suicide himself, Novak wanted to spread awareness for veterans, including those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and encourage them to seek help, reach out, and recognize the value of life much like he did.
Novak walked through states like Idaho, Missouri and Kansas, eventually hitting Alabama, Georgia and Florida in the last leg of his walk. He mostly tracked his progress and recounted his days through blog posts, and it’s amazing to see how he adapted to any problems he encountered during his journey, whether it was fatigue, finding a place to stay, or figuring out what to eat.
As Novak reached his finish line in Orlando, Spirit Airlines treated his wife and children with tickets to reunite with Novak after six months on Aug. 21. At first, it was planned to be a surprise for his family. They were to be under the impression that they were meeting him at the finish line, but he would instead greet them at Orlando International Airport as soon as they got off their flight. Novak wrote in his blog that it didn’t quite turn out like that.
“This was meant to be a surprise for the girls, but I am a terrible secret keeper. They were excited, but they weren’t surprised.”
Nevertheless, it was still a wonderful and emotional moment for the family after being apart for so many months, shown in the video that was recorded and posted on Novak’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/jlnovak22/videos/465446620977656/). They also got to experience the cockpit of the airplane and sat up front during their flight. Once his family arrived in Orlando, they would begin a vacation in Disney World. Novak was even honored as Magic Kingdom’s veteran of the day and participated in the daily flag retirement ceremony. The vacation lasted until Aug. 26, which would mark the day that Novak finally returned home for the first time after his cross-country walk. Spirit Airlines also flew the family back to their home in Washington.
With each step he took, Jimmy Novak worked to save veterans’ lives and spread awareness to a cause close to his heart. To read more about his cross-country walk or to continue keeping up with The Walking Man and the cause to spread awareness about veteran suicide, visit his blog at http://box5750.temp.domains/~jlnovakc/.
Thank you for your service, Jimmy Novak!
