KENTVILLE, N.S. — The creator of the Cracked Armour clothing line says it’s all about the message and making connections with others who need help.
Mark Long of Halifax, originally from Kings County, played hockey with the Kentville Wildcats when he was a boy. He remembers how excited the players would be to get sponsors and new uniforms or jackets.
Long recalls there were police officers who helped coach the team. This meant a lot to him and he looked up to them. As an adult, he became a police officer himself.
He sees his recent donation of Cracked Armour gear to the Peewee AAA Kentville Wildcats baseball team as a way to influence the young players in a different way. He said so many young men grow up being told not to be crybabies and to walk it off when something bad happens.
“A lot of our society is about hiding what we consider defects and our defects could be mental health,” Long said. “I’m here to say mental health is not a defect.”
He said the young players will one day be husbands and fathers. Long wants them to understand that it’s okay to reach out and ask for help if they’re struggling. He wants to help stop the “suicide epidemic”, the loss of lives resulting from people being ashamed to seek help.
“The result of not asking for help is why I do the work I do, because I’ve had a lot of friends, family and acquaintances commit suicide,” Long said.
Long developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of his career in law enforcement. One of the main reasons he created the clothing line is to let people who have been diagnosed with PTSD, other operational stress injuries or a traumatic brain injury know they are not alone. There are thousands of other people with a similar diagnosis waiting to help.
He said the Cracked Armour initiative is about raising awareness, starting conversations and forging connections and relationships. Long has heard from people across North America who have worn the gear and were approached by others who recognized the brand and wanted to share their stories or experiences.
Long’s ultimate goal is to raise enough money buy a piece of land in the Annapolis Valley to start a PTSD program for veterans and first responders similar to the one he attended in California. Three years ago, he was only the second Canadian to attend Save A Warrior but he has since connected more than 30 other Canadians with the Malibu program.
Important message to share
Greg White, who co-manages the Peewee AAA Kentville Wildcats baseball team with his brother, Jeff White, said it’s been a rough year considering everything going on in Nova Scotia and around the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic and a mass shooting in this province made for an extremely difficult time for many people. This includes children who lived through these experiences.
Jeff came across Long’s story online and got one of the Cracked Armour hats. Jeff reached out to Long to find out how they could help with his effort to raise awareness of PTSD and traumatic brain injury, while also educating the young players on the subjects and helping to get some exposure for the Cracked Armour initiative.
Long responded by donating Cracked Armour jerseys and hats to the team that also feature the Wildcats logo. Greg said the team has been wearing the uniforms proudly.
He said that when his generation was growing up, people didn’t talk about issues like PTSD or other mental health concerns. He said people shouldn’t be ashamed of or shy away from these issues, which have traditionally been stigmatized. Mental health awareness is nothing to be afraid of.
For children, it can be confusing not knowing or understanding why a parent or someone they know in the community is struggling or off work.
“Education is key and it’s going to start with us and how we handle it with our kids and move it forward,” Greg said. “I think the first step is awareness.”
He said it’s important to open the dialogue and have these conversations. The donation gave the kids on the team an opportunity to learn more about mental health issues like PTSD. It also gave them the chance to meet someone like Long who has experienced this and turned his story around to do something very positive to help others.
He said it’s okay for anyone, including first responders and frontline workers, to admit they need help and to accept it.
A small world
Long said his grandfather, Major Alexander Harry Maclean, served in the Second World War. A tank blew up and his grandfather was trapped underneath. He laid there for more than 24 hours waiting to be rescued. His grandfather survived and went on to become a history professor and dean of arts at Acadia University.
Long said he really didn’t know Greg and Jeff White very well growing up. When Long told his mother that he was excited to be sponsoring the Peewee Wildcats and that Greg and Jeff’s sons play for the team, she shared an interesting fact: Greg and Jeff’s mother worked as Maclean’s secretary during his time at Acadia.
Long said it’s amazing to think that Greg and Jeff’s mother and his grandfather worked together all those years and that he never would have known this if he hadn’t sponsored the ball team.
Go online:
For more information on Long and the Cracked Armour clothing line, visit https://crackedarmour.com.
