Since 2012, the reality of PTSD among military veterans has been highlighted with the “22 is too many” or 22-0 mantra, signifying that 22 veterans commit suicide every day in the United States. However, some experts believe this is misinformation because, after all, just because a veteran crashed into a tree at 100 MPH does not mean he intended to, or that the gun he was holding could well have gone off by accident.

Yet when Sgt Maj (Ret) Kevin Bittenbender, a wounded warrior from action in Afghanistan himself, asks a group of vets if they have ever considered suicide or have a friend who thought of doing so to stand up — no one stays in their seats.

Kevin Bittenbender (better known as “Bit”) is passionate about helping veterans, for he knows the demons of despair personally. On August 27, 2007, Bit was leading a mission in a northeastern province in Afghanistan bordering Pakistan. They were ambushed, and it took the lives of three of his best friends. From that event, he went through the mental struggle of survivor guilt and later suffered from burn pit exposure in Afghanistan, from which he developed peripheral neuropathy in his feet and legs that eventually resulted in a partial amputation of his left leg.

This was not the path that Bit thought he would be on. Growing up in Bangor, PA, he went to college on a baseball scholarship in 1983. He was doing well in school and sports, yet one day in 1985, one of his fraternity brothers told him he was joining the Army and dared Bit to join him. To this day, Bit is not sure why he agreed to do so, especially when he found himself in Oklahoma training in 110-degree heat! But Bit and his friend Sonny found themselves lifelong comrades in the Army, Sonny retiring after 33 years and Bit at 34 years in 2019.

After separation from the US Army, Bit worked with the Bureau of Prisons at USP Allenwood. He developed a program especially for veterans (but useful to everyone) that eventually would be used in every prison in the country. He emphasized the need to pursue a viable purpose, be passionate about it, and look beyond yourself in involving others.

Bit is a living example of what he teaches. After his amputation on his birthday, February 17, 2022, his surgeon, Dr. Lynn Eckrote, asked what his goals were. He instantly told her he would run in the Pittsburgh Marathon, which was three months away. She told him he should be happy just to be able to walk by then, nevertheless actually run. But Bit countered that even if he had to hand cycle, he would be in that marathon.

Bit knew this would be a challenge, but he has pushed himself with difficult goals ever since Afghanistan. In 2010, he initiated a Freedom Bike Ride, which in 2013 had 25 bicyclists and hand cyclists going on a five-day ride from Arlington National Cemetery to Lewisburg, PA for the Union County 4th of July Parade.

With the support of Molly, his remarkable wife of thirty years, Bit participated in the Pittsburgh marathon in 2022 on a hand-cycle bike and finished it. He then told Dr. Eckrote that he was going to run the following year. The doctor told him that if he could do it, so could she. She thus began to train for her first marathon run.

On May 15, 2023, exactly 444 days after his surgery, Kevin Bittenbender, together with his faithful service dog Kirby and the first-time marathon runner Dr. Lynn Eckrote, did indeed complete the 26.2-mile run in the Pittsburgh Marathon.

A list of Bittenbender’s activities would fill several pages, such as contributing to the pre-race ceremonies for NASCAR and Indy Series at Pocono Raceway since 2000, “Hope For The Warriors” activities, mentoring fellow amputees at Walter Reed Medical Center, and much more.

In addition to all this, Bit is passionate about volunteerism and demonstrates this locally in his commitment to the Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Company as an ambulance driver and his soon-to-be-started training as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us.” Kevin Bittenbender is a walking, running, hand-cycling, ambulance driving, and an inspirational example of Franklin’s wisdom.