Memorial Day

WFAA covered the story of a former Air Force pilot and how his career has impacted him. He discusses two specific instances that will stick with him forever and shares who he's carrying.

Watch the full story HERE.

On a warm, sunny Memorial Day, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a small gathering of veterans and their families laid wreaths at the base of the statue of Maj. Gen. John A Logan.

Navy veteran Rodrigo Guzman and his wife happened on the ceremony while searching for Memorial Day events online. Guzman, who served from 2007 to 2016 —much of the time “wrangling Marines” at a naval base as a military police officer — volunteered to climb the staircase behind the rostrum and lay a wreath honoring the Navy.

Guzman said he has become involved with Carry the Load, a veterans organization that seeks to raise awareness of veteran’s issues and mental health care for returning military. Noting the high rate of suicide among returning veterans, Guzman noted the casualties of war do not necessarily stop with then end of combat.

Read the full story HERE.

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - While many are enjoying the extra day off from work, it’s important to remember the purpose of Memorial Day: to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country. In Wichita Falls, one group did just that. Photojournalist Rowan Hardman has more on the story.

“Because we’re all about bringing back the meaning of Memorial Day and exposure,” Beau Yurk, medic for Carry The Load, said. “And so, you know, you see someone walking down the street with glory on his back, you know, that’s saying something about, you know, what we’re trying to do here. But I also carry a backpack that I carry all the names that I personally carry. I’ve been doing this for six or seven years now and I’ve never taken a step without that backpack.”

Read and watch the full story HERE.

For Navy veteran Sarah Kuehl, the community—and sacrifice—of military service is something she carries with her every day. When she joined JPMorgan Chase, she found a community that understood…and felt the same way.

In 2016, Kuehl found out about the Military Pathways Development Program at JPMorgan Chase. "I learned right away that JPMorgan Chase is not just a bunch of finance bankers, that there are so many different aspects to the bank that I could be exposed to," she explains. "You can have a lot of different careers within one company. It's much like with the Navy: You're always getting sent to different parts of the Navy and getting exposed to different types of work."

Kuehl worked with Carry The Load in Columbus, but when she moved to Washington D.C. to work with the JPMorgan Chase Institute, she discovered that the city didn't have a Carry The Load program. "I picked up that torch and got a group together to do our first Carry The Load here in the spring of 2019." she recalls. "Over the course of the last couple of years, it has created more recognition and understanding and just the ability for us to really understand not just the sacrifices, but the why behind it."

Read the full story HERE.

DALLAS — More than 10,000 marchers, bikers and other volunteers came out to Reverchon Park in Dallas for the 11th anniversary of Carry The Load. It’s an organization formed by two former Navy Seals who wanted people to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Thousands of veterans, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, family and friends marched through the streets of Dallas and will continue to walk for 20 hours.

Read and watch the full story HERE.

Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, is a time to commemorate men and women who died while serving in the military, as well as thank people who serve or have served in the nation's armed forces.

The Carry the Load Memorial Day march began in 2011 in Dallas, and provides an active way to connect Americans to the sacrifices made daily by the military, veterans, first responders and their families. People are invited to attend Monday's events at Reverchon Park beginning at 11:45 a.m. and continuing through 1:30 p.m. to walk and take part in the closing ceremony, a storyboard procession and other tributes.

Funds raised through Carry The Load assist with the many challenges facing our military, veterans, first responders and their families.

Read the full article HERE.

ST. LOUIS — For many people, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and a three-day weekend of barbecues, beach trips and other outdoor activities. But for those who’ve lost loved ones to war, it can mean visits to the cemetery and the re-emergence of grief and pain.

“You die twice — when you physically pass and then when people forget about you,” said Dave Wirtz, whose son, Scotty Wirtz, 42, an operations support specialist with the Defense Intelligence Agency, was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria in 2019.

Read and watch the full story HERE.

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — For the first time, Carry The Load made one of its stops in Wichita Falls to remember the fallen on Memorial weekend.

“There’s no level of importance that we could actually put on that. It’s just something that we just can’t stop doing, we can’t stop saying their names, we can’t stop getting out there and remembering what they did because every choice that we make, every freedom we have comes from what they did for us,” paramedic Beau York said.

Read and watch the full story HERE.

In Fort Worth on Saturday, hundreds gathered for a rally outside Amon G. Carter Stadium.

“Just come out. Walk with us. You don’t have to be a military person, you don’t have to be a first responder,” said David Lindsey, a retired Dallas firefighter who served 38 years.

The group walked 3.6 miles to the Fort Worth Police and Firefighters Memorial.

Read and watch the full story HERE.

As most Americans will get outside to celebrate the first unofficial weekend of summer, thousands will begin gathering in Dallas ahead of Memorial Day for a two-day event to honor fallen service members. A group called “Carry The Load” has hosted its “Memorial March” for more than a decade now as part of a mission to celebrate heroes and remember their sacrifice. NBC’s Aaron Gilchrist reports in this week’s Sunday Spotlight.

View the story HERE.