Operation Iron Ruck seeks to reduce the suicide epidemic among the veteran population by means of a 151-mile awareness campaign. By bringing the issue to the public we seek to: unite veterans with community, fund charities championing veteran suicide prevention, and support local veteran organizations.

Each fall, the ruck march starts at the visiting team’s stadium and ends at the home team’s stadium. For 2021, we will start at The University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium on Wednesday, 24 November, and walk approximately 151 miles to Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium completing the march on Saturday, 27 November. The march is completed in shifts and consists of rotations between marching, resting, and supporting. Each shift would last the time it takes the current marching shift to complete the approximately 7 miles. Participants carry a 22 lb. ruck-sack, to coincide with the **Mission 22 suicide campaign**. The packed ruck will consist of toiletries, undergarments, and other items collected by the athletics and veteran’s organization departments to be donated to Alabama Veteran Organizations (TBA) & Three Hots and a Cot.

The marchers will also pass around and carry an “Iron Bowl Game Ball” between stadiums. 2021 OIR will continue the dog tags containing the names of Alabama Veterans that have succumb to suicide and their family members have asked to be memorialized during the march.