Memorial May

Today, on Nightly News Kids Edition, we celebrate Flag Day and explain the history behind the flag of the United States of America. View the full story here.

Dallas (WFAA) - People from all over the country come to Dallas to honor those lives on Memorial Day weekend. View the full story here.

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - The nonprofit Carry The Load raises awareness of the true meaning of Memorial Day. The Carry The Load Walk took place in Lake Charles earlier today as an active way to connect people to the sacrifices of military members, veterans and first responders. The group walked from McNeese campus to Veterans Memorial Park at the lakefront.

Carry The Load was founded in 2011 by U.S. Navy Seals Clint Bruce and Stephen Holly. After returning home from service, they were disappointed at how Memorial Day was being celebrated.

“It’s not a mattress sale, it’s not a three-day weekend, it’s not a backyard barbecue. All those things are fine, but Memorial Day is a day of honor and remembrance of those that we’ve lost,” said Jason Santos, East Coast relay manager for Carry The Load.

LAFAYETTE, LA. -- The Carry the Load Walk made a stop in Lafayette on Friday, May 26. The goal of the walk is to raise awareness of the true meaning of Memorial Day. East Coast relay manager for Carry the Load, Jason Santos said, "Memorial Day is supposed to be a time to honor and remember the people that we've lost along the way who have served. We just encourage people to take a few minutes to remember why this holiday exists. To walk through a national cemetery, look at some headstones, read their names out loud. That's what Memorial Day should be.

DALLAS — "You learn more when you're getting your teeth kicked in, proverbially, than you do when things are going your way," said Stephen Holley.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — They are traveling thousands of miles with the names and faces of fallen heroes on their backs.

Active and retired military members and first responders are on a mission, traveling across the country and honoring those who have died in the line of duty or taken too soon. It’s called “Carry the Load,” and on their way to Dallas, one group made a stop in Louisville.

“The least I can do for all these folks is donate my time too,” Miguel Sarmiento told Spectrum News 1 during a stop at Cave Hill National Cemetery.

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Carry the Load National Relay stopped in Wichita on Friday, just two days before Memorial Day.

Carry the Load is a nonprofit that started in 2011 with a mission to restore the true meaning of the holiday. It provides active ways for Americans to connect to the sacrifices made by the military, veterans and first responders.

“We want to keep their memories alive for those that have paid the ultimate price with their life, if they’ve made that sacrifice and even for those that serve every day or maybe have retired or are no longer in service but also their family members,” said Michael Williamson, a cyclist on the route.

HAILEY, IDAHO - Memorial Day is being turned into Memorial May, a month-long celebration for those in the Armed Forces who have sacrificed their lives to serve the United States, as well as for first responders.

DALLAS - Carry The Load, a Dallas-based non-profit that provides active ways to connect Americans to the sacrifices of our military, veterans, first responders and their families, will host its 12th Annual Dallas Memorial March at Reverchon Park in Dallas on Sunday, May 28 at noon and continuing through the night until Monday, May 29 at 1:30 p.m. It is a culmination of a 20,000-mile National Relay that covers 48 states in 32 days as a part of Carry The Load’s Memorial May Awareness Program.

DALLAS — For a dozen years now, the volunteers and ambassadors of Carry The Load have taken their Memorial Day message on the road.

And, as those five teams inch closer on their journeys to Dallas, they say their motivation to spread that message remains as strong as ever.

The 2023 Carry The Load National Relay, with five routes in all, covers an estimated 20,000 miles, reaching 48 states in 32 days. The West Coast Route began in Seattle. The East Coast Route began in West Point, New York. The New England Route began in Burlington, Vermont. A Midwest Route started in Minneapolis. And the Mountain States Route started in Minot, North Dakota.