Each year dozens of cyclists pedal along the Highway of Heroes, following the same route as the funeral convoys which carried fallen Canadian Armed Forces service men and women from the Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial in Trenton to the coroner’s office in Toronto.

The Highway of Heroes Bike Ride, put on by Wounded Warriors Canada, helps raise awareness for the country’s ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, first responders and their families.

This year that group of bikers will include Tom Krasnuik, a recruiting officer and platoon commander with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Reserve Unit.

Krasnuik said it’s important to create awareness around Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) and Operational Stress Injuries (OSI) but to also “pay respects and homage to all those who gave their lives over the years for that mission.”

Krasnuik served for 24 years in the Canadian Forces — 20 in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) regular forces and another four in the reserves — including two tours in Bosnia and a pair in Afghanistan.

From 2001 to 2014 more than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in the Afghanistan theatre of operations. Of those, 158 Canadian Armed Forces members didn’t make it home alive and thousands more were physically and or mentally injured.

While Krasnuik himself came out the other end unscathed, he knows many that weren’t as fortunate.

“A lot of my friends, a lot of my brothers and sisters that I knew over the years, have PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) when I run into them.

“So finding out all these people I served with had PTSD, it kind of hit me hard. I want to get the message out there so people are more aware of it. I think it’s a cause that’s worthy of more attention.”

Krasnuik said PTSD can be easily overlooked because it’s an injury that can’t be seen.

“If you had a broken arm, let’s say, or you were shot, PTSD is an injury like that and I don’t think people see it as that. It’s a serious thing that affects a lot of people.”

And unlike something like a broken arm, it’s not something that heals given a little time.

“PTSD is more of a life-long injury.”

The ride also acts as a fundraiser for Wounded Warriors Canada and has raised nearly $500,000 in its first two years. That money goes toward a wide range of mental health programs and services for individual members and families affected by Operational Stress Injuries.

More information on Wounded Warriors Canada and the Highway of Heroes Bike Ride can be found at https://woundedwarriors.ca/

tjmiller@postmedia.com