Lennon Takes On 2,222 Pull-Ups For Veteran Suicide Awareness

Suffolk County Legislator Chad Lennon will turn physical endurance into a message of solidarity this weekend, hosting a 23-hour, 2,222 pull-up challenge aimed at raising awareness of veteran and military suicide.

The collective challenge begins Saturday, September 19th, at 11 a.m. at the Heritage Center in Mount Sinai and concludes Sunday at 10 a.m. Veterans, active-duty military personnel, first responders, veterans organizations, community leaders and members of the public are expected to participate.

Rather than one person completing all 2,222 pull-ups, participants will work together toward the total — reinforcing the event’s central message that veterans struggling with mental health challenges should not face them alone.

The cause is personal for Lennon, a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve and Purple Heart recipient who has served in the Marines for 18 years. Lennon deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 as a platoon commander, leading more than 50 combat missions. He remains a reservist and has served with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.

The Rocky Point Republican has made veterans’ issues a centerpiece of his work since joining the Suffolk County Legislature in January 2024. He sponsored legislation establishing Sept. 22 as Veteran Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day in Suffolk County and led efforts to reopen the county’s Veterans Traffic Court.

Last September, Lennon carried the American and Suicide Awareness and Remembrance flags during a grueling 66-mile walk from Orient to Hauppauge to spotlight veteran suicide and mental health.

Lennon previously served as director of Touro Law Center’s Veterans and Servicemembers’ Rights Clinic and as a Suffolk County prosecutor assigned to Veterans Treatment Court.

The public is invited to participate throughout the 23-hour challenge or join Lennon and other participants for the final pull-up at 10 a.m. Sunday. The group will then gather for the SAR Flag Family Remembrance Ceremony, honoring veterans lost to suicide and reinforcing the message that no veteran should struggle alone.

The event will be held at the Heritage Center, 633 Mount Sinai-Coram Road in Mount Sinai.