The 500-Mile Journey, Day 12: Mission Accomplished for Mission 22

12 Days later and Brian Tjersland and Josh Milich have officially completed their 500-mile journey that once departed from the Bourne National Cemetery and ended at the Arlington National Cemetery.

When I woke up Friday morning on November 22nd, I was unprepared for what the day had in store for me.

Heading downstairs to grab a hefty breakfast with the Mission 22 crew, I began to mentally ready myself for a long haul down to Arlington, VA. Tjersland and Milich were already ready to go per usual so as soon as the bus was packed and our shoes were tied, I got in one last stretch before embracing the trek that waited ahead of me.

"Move out!" someone in the group yelled and off we went.

Along the way, running beside Tjersland and Milich was beyond inspirational. They were a beaming aura of energy and motivation that was highly contagious. Just getting to know them and how strong their will power is to endure such a long journey was absolutely mind-blowing and incredibly noble.

One by one the final mileage that remained melted off the checklist. The help from Officers Donnie Williams and Jared Lucas was phenomenal and truly helped push us across that finish line.

As we reached our half-way point for the day, the boys went LIVE for a quick update, making it the last one of their 12-Day journey:

Each mile that passed I felt my legs getting tighter and tighter, the pain starting to seep through the spaces of each muscle. Every step began to hurt more than the last one, but I had to keep pushing. These guys were about to finish up their 500th mile and I wasn't going to complain, no matter how tough it felt to finish 30 miles.

Finally, as we approached the Abraham Lincoln and the Vietnam Memorial,Tjersland, Milich, and the rest of us we were greeted by an impressive police motorcade that were ready to escort us over to our final destination, approximately 1.2 miles away.

As we crossed that final bridge and ran into the entrance of the Arlington National Cemetery, emotions began to take over as we were cheered on by hundreds of supporters, police, firefighters and media.

Tjersland and Milich went off ahead of us and made their way to the final finish line as we watched with proudness. It was at that moment that we all realized what Tjersland and Milich and the whole crew had accomplished.

The goal was to spread the word and awareness for Veteran suicide and it was a job well done by all.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and from all of us here at Mission 22 for your love and support, without it, none of this could have been the success that it came about to be and it most certainly fueled Tjersland and Milich.

For as long as I live, I will forever be grateful for Tjersland and Milich for their hard work and perseverance. Together we raised over $40,000 and Lucas/Williams said it best in the following post:

Once again, thank you for everything and always remember- "It's OK to be NOT OK".