Retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Robert Luna spent more than 28 years serving his country across the globe. This summer, he’s trekking more than 2,200 miles across the U.S. for mental health awareness.
“As with most military families, my father was a Marine for 30 years and I moved around a lot. I attended three high schools,” he said. “ I was blessed enough to be decent in sports so meeting friends was easy for me, but it was still hard as I really didn’t see my father much because he was always busy with training.”
Luna said he loved sports and played football, baseball, basketball, swimming and track. In 1996 he enlisted in the Coast Guard after meeting with recruiters from all branches. When asked to reflect on a memory of his time in service that had the most impact, he was quick to talk about his role in the Honor Guard early on in his career.
“I performed ceremonies for sitting presidents and dignitaries from around the world, and I had the honor to meet many well-known people, including Gen. Westmoreland and his wife. I also met Maya Angelou, Ted Turner and James Earl Jones,” Luna said.
At the end of his career, Luna was sent to the border.
“I was detailed to the customs border patrol in Tucson, Arizona, and I was charged with revamping their protocols for saving people’s lives that are lost in the desert. I had to train command staff on how to conduct rescue operations in the desert,” he said. “I have learned in my experience that all humans have struggles but yet they still will help others in need no matter how much they are struggling themselves.”
Hanging up his uniform was much harder than he anticipated and the weight of the work he’d done became haunting, he shared. He also felt unprepared for the transition to civilian life.
“You have all kinds of training on how to handle life threatening situations but once you are done, you are done. I found that in the quiet moments of living a ‘regular’ life, all of the search and rescue calls started to come flooding back. I couldn’t sleep,” Luna said. “All I could think about were the last moments that different people had with me before losing their lives.”
He adds that he “couldn’t escape the ghosts.”
“In the end, I just felt like I had no purpose and that led me to almost taking my life,” Luna said. “Thankfully I was able to persevere but for so many others we know this isn’t a reality.”
He said he attempted to secure mental health services through the VA, but the wait for a therapist was months long. He began doing his own search in the civilian sector and found his own support.
“I also started to walk. Every time I had a dark thought, I would get on my sneakers and go. I knew that this was my new purpose, to walk and to show others that there is help out there often for free and without the long wait that sometimes happens with the VA,” he explained.
On May 28, 2024, Luna began a 2,200 mile and three-and-a-half-month journey from Alabama to California to raise awareness and resources for veteran mental health services.
“I want to make sure that after this walk is done that I have reached thousands of people to let them know there is help and hope. I have started with my team the paperwork for a nonprofit, The AL2LA Foundation, that will hopefully continue to bring resources and access to mental health services for veterans and their families,” Luna said.
He plans to use donations from the cross country walk to support mental health programs, along with training courses for veterans and Coast Guard families preparing for military transition.
“These critical skills are key components to the mental health support that every single veteran and their family needs,” he said.
Since he began walking, Luna has encountered many military families and veterans. The story of “Preacher,” a 99-year-old WWII veteran, has stuck with him. He hopes to bring him to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. one day.
As for taking on such a big, audacious journey, he said it takes “one step at a time.”
“I keep telling myself and my body that it’s just a little bit more. I play a lot of music, and I talk to my friends and family when I am able to,” he said. “I just concentrate on the walk one step at a time. I know that my success will help so many veterans and that’s what keeps me going.”
He reminds himself often that although the journey is often challenging, it’s worth it.
“Fred Rogers once said, ‘Look for the helpers.’ During this personal journey of mine, I have realized that each human cares about the other, and they are always willing to help. There is no divided America that you see pushed on the TV,” Luna said. “We are all trying to live our best lives, and every single person is willing to help others as much as they can. … It can be as simple as offering me water or a nice home cooked meal. Humanity is out there in every reach of our amazing country. That’s a pretty good feeling.”
Visit his website to follow his journey.
