He lost 5 military teammates in a week to suicide. Now this veteran is trying to prevent more -...

There’s something about the gym that has always felt like therapy to Jon Klipstein. The Army veteran has tried other avenues to treat his post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by two tours in Afghanistan, but fitness seemed to help the most.

He knows plenty of other veterans haven’t been as fortunate.

Klipstein, a Meridian resident, told the Idaho Statesman that within days of returning from his first deployment to Afghanistan, five soldiers in his brigade died by suicide.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said in a phone interview. “I couldn’t believe we lost that many soldiers in the span of a week.”

The experience stuck with Klipstein, who left the Army in 2013. This year, he wanted to do something to remember veterans who’ve faced similar issues. That’s why he organized a 100-mile ruck challenge that he and three other veterans took on over Memorial Day weekend in an effort to raise money and awareness for mental health issues and suicide among veterans.