Veterans Day ‘ruck walk’ from Dracut to Lowell set to raise money for PTSD

Rucking, an exercise requiring soldiers to walk with a weight in a backpack, is among the most rigorous forms of military training. In recent years, veterans have embraced the practice to raise money for nonprofits and organizations that support those who served.

On Saturday, Veterans Day will be celebrated in Dracut and Lowell with a 7-mile “Ruck For Change” organized by Hidden Battles, a local nonprofit that helps veterans and other groups suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Along the way, the ruckers will collect spare change from people to raise money to combat PTSD and raise awareness about suicide prevention, Hidden Battles said in a statement.

Participants will gather at 8 a.m. at the VFW park on Broadway in Dracut, and the walk will officially start at 9 a.m., Hidden Battles said in a statement. The ruckers will make several stops along the route, including at SPC Matthew G. Boule Memorial Park on Lakeview Avenue, Lowell City Hall, and Lowell Memorial Auditorium, it said.

The walk will end with a free spaghetti dinner for veterans at O’Hara’s Tavern on Lakeview Avenue in Dracut from 3:30 to 7 p.m., the statement said. Nearly all of the money raised will go toward veterans programs.

“Our staff is 100% volunteer,” Hidden Battles said. “Ninetyfour percent of all donations fund vital programs necessary to combat PTSD and suicide awareness.”

The Dracut-based organization was founded by Scott Hyder in memory of his brother, Nick, who had PTSD and died by suicide in 2012.