George Eshleman

George Eshleman comes from a family of Artillery soldiers, beginning with his great-grandfather Ben F. Eshleman who was commander of Washington’s Artillery at Gettysburg. Continuing in this tradition, George served with the 75th Artillery Brigade 5/18 HHC out of Fort Sill, Okla., deploying to Saudia Arabia in 1990 in support of Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Desert Sabre – where 5/18, along with the 1st ID and 1st Armored Division engaged with two Republican Guard divisions.

In 1992, George returned home to Georgia, where his struggle with the transition back to civilian life led to a lost sense of purpose that continued for the next 24 years. In 2015 he lost his closest friend to suicide. Heavily impacted, George decided to raise awareness for veteran suicides by hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. On the trek, he carried the name tape from his friend's uniform and 362 other name tapes from veterans and servicemembers who committed suicide, given to him by their families. What none of these family members knew – is that George never planned to come off the trail.

Instead, George found himself immersed in the “Hiker Universe” – network of fellow hikers who revel in their common purpose along the trails. Among these, a group of four fellow veterans kept tabs on George as he battled depression along the way and helped him change his path.

George completed his hike, and decided his new mission would be to help other veterans struggling with depression and suicide. He founded the non-profit Unified Warrior Foundation, an organization that brings together a patchwork of organizations and resources to help those who are struggling.

The story of what happened on the trail is told in the new movie, “The Keeper” coming out Memorial Day weekend, 2024