JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — They served our country and now their service is to each other…on skates.

On March 1, the Jacksonville Icemen Warriors will host the Hicks Cup at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. This is a hockey game dedicated to preventing veteran suicide and it’s played in honor of Marine Private First Class Wesley Michael Hicks. In this week’s Stories of Service, we hit the ice to meet the man who started this game.

For years they wore camouflage, these days the group of veterans gathering for Jacksonville Icemen Warriors practice at the Community First Igloo have different-looking uniforms leading up to the Hicks Cup.

“Everybody that leaves the service leaves a piece of them behind,” said David Wezniak, vice president of the Jacksonville Icemen Warriors. “When they come out here to this type of organization, they get that chance to be themselves and act in a military manner the way we do behind closed doors.”

Wezniak served in the Marines from 1997 to 1999. Now, years after his time serving our country, he’s serving the needs of other veterans, many who are also far removed from their active-duty days and dealing with more than just aches and pains after practice.

“There’s a lot of grunting and groaning, but at the end of the day we’re accomplishing the same mission, our biggest focus is mental health, and we check in on each other regularly,” said Wezniak.

The Hicks Cup has a broad mission of preventing veteran suicide, but it’s dedicated to the memory of one specific Marine.

“It’s dedicated to my very good friend PFC Hicks who committed suicide while we were on duty together,” said Wezniak.

And it’s that memory of a friend gone too soon that drives the mission of the Jacksonville Icemen Warriors, even away from the Hicks Cup and away from hockey.

“We have a recall list where we do reach out to each other when we know there’s a problem,” said Wezniak. “We have veterans who will contact us in a time of need just to talk to us or go get lunch.”

The Hicks Cup is Saturday, March 1. The puck drops at 2:30 p.m. at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. 

More information about the game, tickets and the Jacksonville Icemen Warriors organization can be found on their website.

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