Milford Officer's 'Tough Ruck' Will Raise Funds For Service Members

MILFORD, MA — A Milford police officer will participate in a tough, marathon-length march to raise money for first responders and soldiers who have died.

Officer Mike Johnson, an Army veteran, will march in the 2023 "Tough Ruck" event in Massachusetts, which is part of a larger network of similar events across the nation. During the ruck, Johnson and scores of other veterans and first responders will march 26.2 miles with the weight of rucksacks up to 35 pounds on their backs.

Milford nonprofit Thanks To Yanks recently donated $250 to Johnson's ruck. The money is from a coin drive held at Milford elementary schools over the fall, according to Thanks To Yanks founder Mike Shain.

Johnson served in Afghanistan, and returned to the U.S. only to have members of his battalion die by suicide — on top of casualties the unit experienced overseas.

"Mike realized that his coping mechanism over the loss of his brothers, is pushing himself and his physical limits," Shain said.

The 2023 Tough Ruck event will be held on April 16 beginning at the Fenn School in Concord. You can donate directly to Johnson on his Tough Ruck fundraising page.