The importance of Memorial Day can be lost in the shuffle of a long holiday weekend, traffic jams, and parades. Though we may all don our red crepe poppy to honor family and veterans lost in service to our country, a Texas-based organization realized that all our nation’s heroes needed to be honored and one way to help was to Carry The Load.

Carry the Load co-founders Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley war veterans, came home feeling that their friends who had fallen in the line of duty had been forgotten amidst the fireworks and BBQs. To honor those friends and many others that had fallen, Bruce loaded one pound of weight in a backpack to symbolize each friend that he had lost and he conducted a standard military march. The mission spread and now a coast-to-coast relay, marches, and rallies take place across the United States.

My family and I joined the local Lake Placid Carry The Load rally last Memorial Day. I carried my father with me.  Other people honored men and women still in service or who had recently died in the line of duty. We walked around Mirror Lake, sharing stories and met people along the way. It was a simple enough activity that allowed us to have a conversation about service, while honoring those who had served. This organization honors all heroes and celebrates the sacrifices made by all veterans, fire fighters, law enforcement officers, and first responders.

This Sunday, May 28, at Mid’s Park in Lake Placid, Carry The Load is opening to everyone. Join in the walk 2.7-mile walk around Mirror Lake in memory of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Between 11 am – 3 pm, participants can walk, bike or paddle (participants must wear PDFs) around the lake in support of all heroes. The event is free and open to the public. The event will close with a free 3 pm public concert. Who will you carry?

Photo:Lake Placid’s Carry The Load Rally, courtesy AdirondackFamilyTime.com.