Field of crosses grows at St. Jude
Brandon Zeitler wasted no time grabbing a hammer to help add 22 more crosses to a field of hundreds, a display near Lewes aimed at drawing attention to veteran suicide.
Zeitler, an Army veteran, represented the Delaware chapter of Irreverent Warriors, an international organization that brings veterans together using humor and camaraderie to improve mental health and prevent suicide.
It was his turn June 28 to pay tribute to 22 more veterans who have died by suicide.
“It is a visual representation of our brothers and sisters that we’re losing,” Zeitler said.
Veterans’ names were written on the crosses, and a prayer was said before each cross was placed in the ground.
Zeitler FaceTimed with Natalie Brett, the widow of Sgt. Daniel Brett, who took his own life July 5, 2023, before writing his name on a cross.
The crosses are located on Route 1 next to St. Jude the Apostle Church north of Five Points outside Lewes.
The Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Assembly 2413 has teamed with 22aday.org to bring the display to Sussex County for the first time. The number 22 is significant because, on average, 22 veterans die by suicide each day.
The field has been growing by 22 crosses each day since June 4. There will be 660 crosses in place Friday, July 4. A closing ceremony will be held Sunday, July 6, after mass.
“Each cross represents a veteran, often alone or suffering amid family and friends in silence. Let this field remind us of our duty to be diligent in recognizing the pain many veterans are in,” said Chuck Augustine of the Knights of Columbus.
Zeitler said the Irreverent Warriors will be holding one of its silkies hikes Sept. 20 in Rehoboth Beach. They are called silkies hikes because the veterans who participate wear brief athletic shorts, like the ones they wore during physical training.
“Only service members can be in the silkies hike. You have veterans talking to veterans, peer-to-peer, about what we can do to help each other,” Zeitler said.
Zeitler said he found his own therapist at a silkies hike.
“I didn’t think I needed therapy at the time, until I started therapy. Through the Irreverent Warriors and the therapist that I met, I was able to get the help I really needed,” Zeitler said.
For more information on the silkies hike, go to irreverentwarriors.com.
Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.
