Boston 5K Raises Money For Disabled American Veterans

BOSTON (CBS) - Bobby Naser ran a lot of races as a young man. But it's not his love of running that makes the 89-year-old one of the two biggest donors to the upcoming Disabled American Veterans 5K Run & Walk in Boston. It's the Navy man's commitment to other veterans.

"I was very fortunate. I was in World War II. I served in all the theaters of war and I never got a scratch. I was a kid. I went in when I was 16 years-old. I wasn't afraid then. Now I'm afraid!"

Naser understands all too well what soldiers sacrifice. He shipped out with six young men. Only two came home. Even the men and women of the military who escape physical injury can suffer. The government says 10-15% of veterans return home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

"What they do for the country, what they do for the people, nobody knows what their sacrifices are," Naser told WBZ's Lisa Hughes.

Naser and his family know all too well how tough it is for veterans with PTSD. Naser's nephew Robert Whitney served in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War.

Whitney, as he likes to be called, graduated fourth in his class at MIT and could have become a commissioned officer. But he was traumatized in Vietnam and returned with severe PTSD. He says he is forever indebted to the DAV.

"I know, in my own case," Whitney says, "It was a DAV worker who helped me out."

That worker helped him access resources to get medical help, housing and transportation. What difference did that make in his life? According to Whitney, it made all the difference in the world.

Whitney is the other major donor to the DAV run. Both he and Naser believe the inaugural 5K will remind people of the sacrifices veterans make and raise money to help local veterans.

"It's a patriotic thing," Naser said. "I feel just great about it. In fact, I get chills when I think about it!"

The inaugural DAV 5K Run/Walk in Boston is Saturday, November 14th at 9am. The event starts and finishes at the corner of Charles & Beacon St.

Click here for registration information about the walk and run. Registration for the walk and run is underway now.