For anti-suicide organization 22 Jumps, extreme sport doubles as advocacy for veterans' mental health.
Small Lake City
By Zach Abend
Niccolo Angelino is a six-year veteran of the Army's Airborne Infantry and now works as a police officer in Cleveland. After a close friend—who also served in the Army—took his own life, Angelino became involved with 22 Jumps, an organization dedicated to combating veteran and first responder suicide. "I love the mission they are on," Angelino said.
Tristan Wimmer, a former Marine, founded 22 Jumps after his brother Kiernan—who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) while serving in Iraq—took his life. He started 22 Jumps as a way to combat suicide among vets and first responders.
The name "22 Jumps" refers to the estimated number of veterans who take their own lives every day, according to a 2012 Department of Veterans Affairs study. During their fundraising events, jumpers will perform 22 BASE jumps in a day as a way to honor the veterans who have passed.
Besides suicide prevention, via adventure sports, 22 Jumps also raises money for TBI research and connects veterans and first responders to alternative treatments. "We also have a scholarship program," Wimmer said, "through which we connect veterans to organizations that specialize in plant medicine retreats."
TBIs are ubiquitous among veterans who have seen combat. Dagan Van Oosten, a Marine Corps veteran and someone who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, said studies have shown that actions like firing large caliber weapons can produce TBI in the shooter. Van Oosten runs an outdoor adventure and clothing company called Nomadic Research, which donates clothing and gear to participants in the yearly adventure sports retreat that 22 Jumps hosts in Moab, UT.
"I was a sniper for 10 of my 12 years ... plus demolitions, plus getting knocked out on several occasions ... your head takes a beating," Van Oosten said. "You find out years later when the dust settles that you're not ok."
Alex Popescu, a former gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps, was medically retired after sustaining a TBI from an IED (improvised explosive device) that exploded near him while he was serving in Iraq. Popescu, who had been following 22 Jumps on social media, signed up for the inaugural 22 Jumps adventure sports retreat.
"It ended up being life changing," Popescu said. "Eventually, I am going to start jumping off bridges with these guys. It has taken on a therapeutic role in my life. When you're up at 14,000 feet, nothing else matters."
The need that 22 Jumps fills is urgent; veteran suicide is at epidemic levels. The VA reported that in 2022, 6,407 veterans took their own lives. "It got to the point where all the units I served with in combat—besides the green berets—lost more guys to suicide than from combat," Popescu said. "There is such a backlog at the VA and we have cuts coming now. More needs to be done about men's mental health in this country. If the VA wants to help, we need more stuff like this."
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