The history of Carry The Load and its Memorial Day mission

DALLAS — Eleven years ago, two Navy Seals from Dallas came up with what they thought would be a good 'Dallas' idea: a solemn procession of the American names and faces lost in our nation's wars to remind us all what Memorial Day is really about.

"I've lost many, many friends in the wars, probably too many to name here. But I carry all of them, every day," said Marcus Capone of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions.  "And we're just humbled and happy to be part of something so great."

"I'll be here until I can't walk," said Dallas firefighter/paramedic Beau York. "This is just something everybody should do at least once. And once you do it once you can't stop doing it. Just like me."

Read and watch the full story HERE.

Honoring Our Nation’s Heroes: Memorial Day 2022

Each May, Americans come together to recognize National Military Appreciation Month and Memorial Day in remembrance of the ultimate sacrifice made by our nation’s heroes. The month is a time for military recognition and patriotic pride as communities pay tribute to members of the military who served the country in the name of freedom. The Samsung Veterans Community Employee Resource Group (ERG) was joined by Samsung employees across the country in honoring the members of the U.S. Armed Forces throughout the month.

Read the full story and watch the video HERE.

How ABAC students are restoring the true meaning of Memorial Day

“Carry The Load” is an organization focused on restoring the original meaning of Memorial Day and honoring the sacrifices of veterans and first responders.

ABAC students marched with “Carry The Load” through Tifton on March 22nd to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day. Congress declared Memorial Day an official federal holiday in 1971 to honor members of the military who died while serving.

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County helps to ‘Carry The Load’ for Memorial Day

Hunt County and the City of Greenville came out to share the meaning of Memorial Day, as a big crowd participated in the “Carry The Load” walk.

The relay is in its 10th year and this is the eighth year Carry The Load has come through Hunt County on its way to its final destination in Dallas.

Read the full story HERE.

Carry the Load event pays tribute to fallen service members

It's a holiday but for some veterans and others its already been a long night and morning. FOX 4's Dan Godwin talked to several people taking part in the annual Carry the Load event at Reverchon Park in Dallas.

Watch the full story HERE.

Memorial Day: Thousands ‘Carry the Load,’ attend in-person events to honor fallen heroes

Thousands of people took part in an event in Dallas meant to remind people about the meaning of Memorial Day and who it honors.

For Pauline Perez, this year is personal.

"I could’ve been the reason my family is out here continuing the tradition," she said.

Perez is a firefighter with Dallas Fire Rescue. On Sept. 21 of last year, she nearly died.

She and the crew of Truck 25 responded to the Hidden Hills Apartment Complex for reports of a gas leak. She was badly injured in the explosion.

"I still have sleeves and gloves on my hands to protect myself from the sun but to be able to be out here and be able to talk and to be able to honor the heroes and put their lives on the line means a lot to me," Perez said.

Read and watch the full story HERE.

What Carry the Load means to veterans and their families

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.

Ceremony at Logan statue commemorates Memorial Day

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.

Carry The Load emphasizes importance of Memorial Day

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.

Helping Veterans Carry the Load

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.

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