Our Mission:

Suicide Prevention

The Spartan Sword and Spartan Axe were forged from steel recovered from the World Trade Center buildings that fell on 9/11.

These powerful symbols were created to inspire veterans and first responders to take the “Spartan Pledge” — a vow written by Iraq War veteran Boone Cutler, encouraging veterans to promise they will reach out to a battle buddy before considering suicide.

Veterans of the U.S. Military, NYPD, and FDNY have united in a dramatic effort to combat suicide through SpartanSword.org, a fully volunteer-run initiative with no paid staff or overhead.

SpartanSword.org relies on support to fund the travel of the Sword and Axe, along with their escorts, to veteran and first-responder events across the country, where they aim to save lives. In keeping with the mission’s focused approach, SpartanSword.org will never hold more than $100,000 in its bank account for a 90-day period and will temporarily pause donations if that limit is reached. Success is measured by lives saved, not dollars raised.

Donate today to help transport the Spartan Sword and support military and first-responder suicide-prevention events across the nation. Your contribution can make a life-saving difference.

Your donation is tax deductible.

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Transportation sponsored by:

Group photo courtesy of the Washington Post

The Spartan Pledge:

It started with a conversation about veteran suicide and what is causing the "22 a day" epidemic. It continued with a promise, which became the Spartan Pledge. The Spartan Pledge is a commitment among veterans to not take their own lives but rather stand for their fellow soldiers in times of despair. It was created almost accidentally by an Iraq veteran, Boone Cutler, when he spoke with another veteran about a mutual friend's suicide. The Spartan Pledge has grown exponentially in the veteran community and continues to be a binding promise among suffering veterans. While there can be no study of how effective the Pledge is, many say just having that "battle buddy" aware of what's going on inside can be the difference between suicide and life.

The Spartan Sword

The Spartan Sword was created in Sept, 2016 by taking donated steel from the 9/11 wreckage of World Trade Center's 1 and 2, and forging them into a replica of the warfighter’s sword that was carried in battle by the ancient Spartans. The Spartan Sword serves as the physical embodiment of the Spartan Pledge, an oath authored by Iraq War veteran, Boone Cutler, as a means to mitigate the excessive suicide rate found in the military veteran community. Since 2016, the Spartan Sword has been traveling around the country in an effort to raise awareness and combat the suicide epidemic in the veteran community. To listen to the story that aired on NPR of how the Spartan Sword came about, click below.

The Spartan Axe

The Spartan Axe was created in Sept, 2020 by taking recovered steel from World Trade Center 1, and a fireman's axe that was used on ground zero in the days following 9/11. The artist used forge welding to form the initial block. That block of steel was then forged into the fire axe depicted below. It was etched with the FDNY logo and the First Responders Spartan Pledge. It was then it was dipped into acid to show the layers in the steel. The handle was carved from curly maple and secured the axe head with wedges made from bloodwood and a silver dollar. 

The Spartan Axe was made as a complement to the Spartan Sword and will travel around the country in an effort to raise awareness and combat the suicide epidemic in the veteran and first responder communities. The artist, Ben Hayhurst, is a Purple Heart recipient and uses blacksmithing as a means of healing.

Ben’s Bio: I was born In Bountiful Utah in June or 1978. I grew up in a family with a dad who is a geologist, so we moved around a lot during my childhood. We were an outdoors family and spent a lot of time camping and hiking.

I joined the Army in 1999 as an Infantryman. My first duty station was with the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea. After a year there I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. I was there from early 2001 until I left the service in Late 2005. I deployed to Iraq with Comanche Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division from March 2004 to April 2005. Our task force, Task Force Lancer, was responsible for an area of Baghdad called Sadr City.

After I left the service, my wife and I moved to Lewiston, Idaho to be near my family. In 2016 we moved to Elk, Washington where we have a small hobby farm. We have two children, 3 dogs, and numerous chickens and turkeys.

The last five years I have been learning and practicing the arts of blacksmithing and bladesmithing. 

Request the Spartan Sword or Axe at an event near you.

Since its creation, the Spartan Sword & Axe have been at more than fifty events where nearly 5000 veterans have taken the Spartan Pledge. To date, only two who have taken the Spartan Pledge have been reported as having taken their own lives.

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Photos from past events:

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