In the News Archives - Page 2 of 84

May 3, 2025

Celebrating Memorial “May” in Wilmington

WDEL

From West Point to Dallas with stops in between - including Wilmington - non-profit Carry the Load is keeping the spirit of Memorial Day alive all month long.

Carry the Load supports services throughout the country such as counseling, adaptive training, suicide prevention, job placements, and scholarships for children of the fallen. In addition to military members and veterans, the group also supports first-responders and their families.

At the Wilmington Riverfront, hundreds of people - many from Delaware-incorporated JPMorgan Chase - walked for the cause, and in honor of an individual they wanted to recognize and remember. A core group began days earlier at West Point, and will make many stops on the way to Dallas in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Josh Lewis, Carry the Load Ambassador, walks in honor of fallen brothers who were killed in Iraq. Participants were invited to wear a label with the name of someone they honor.

"Everybody's got a reason to be out here and somebody to walk for. We celebrate those lives," Lewis said.

“Carry The Load’s mission serves as a powerful reminder of the true meaning of Memorial Day, and JPMorganChase is proud to support their efforts to ensure our nation’s heroes are never forgotten,” Global Head of Military & Veterans Affair Mark Elliott said. "Our commitment to the military community is deeply rooted – from hiring nearly 20,000 veterans and over 3,000 military spouses since 2011, to equipping military families and veteran-owned businesses with the tools and resources they need to thrive. Honoring the sacrifice of those who gave their lives means not only remembering them – but supporting the loved ones and communities they served.”

Watch the news story here.

May 2, 2025

Carry the Load Memorial May comes back to Rensselaer

WTEN ABC

May 2, 2025

Highland Village Rotary Club and local Italian restaurant to host Medal of Honor museum speaker

The Cross Timbers Gazette

The event will feature speakers from the museum such as Jessica Saddler, a Flower Mound resident that has more than 20 years of experience with non-profits and veterans. That includes time spent in Washington D.C. at the World War II Museum.

Her goal for the event is to inspire audiences to live out their values and to embody the Medal of Honor.

Highland Village Rotary Club president-elect Candy Wade said she invites anyone from the community, especially veterans, to join the dinner.

“Our rotary is very involved in veteran programs,” she said. “So we’re inviting the community, veterans and first responders to come out. We’re excited with Memorial Day fast approaching to have the museum come to us and present their program."

The program will share information on what the museum does, what is has on display and how it was designed. Wade said she has heard lots of good reviews on the museum.

“Architecturally, it’s just beautiful,” she said. “And everyone I know that has gone through it said it was just inspiring.”

Wade hopes the informational session will build some interest in organizing a tour for a group of veterans from the community.

Other ways the Highland Village Rotary Club supports veterans is through donations and different programs and events. One is Carry the Load, which is where member John Kohlschein will be instead of the May 15 event.

Read the rest of the story here.

May 2, 2025

Memorial May walk in Annapolis set for Saturday

Capital Gazette

A nonprofit that honors fallen military members and first responders is hosting its annual Memorial May walk in Annapolis Saturday.

Carry The Load was founded in 2011 by two Navy SEALs. The walk around Annapolis will begin at 3:30 p.m. with the Annapolis National Cemetery serving as the meet-up point.

The walk is part of “Memorial May,” an effort to raise money for service members killed in the line of duty and runs through Memorial Day.

“Since 2011, Carry The Load’s mission to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day has grown into a nationwide movement that empowers friends and loved ones of the fallen to experience healing,” media coordinator Elena Ramey wrote in a news release.

Carry The Load also includes first responders as a part of its mission, according to Stephen Holley, the organization’s co-founder, president and CEO.

“It takes both our armed forces overseas and first responders back home to protect our families and communities,” Holley said.

Since 2011, Carry The Load has raised $46 million, with 93% of funds going directly to programs for veterans like counseling, adaptive training, suicide prevention and service dogs.

“Carry The Load first started out of anger and frustration for a nation that we felt had forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day,” Holley said. “Since then, our Memorial May campaign has helped provide healing for friends and family of the fallen and keeps their memories alive.”

May 2, 2025

P.S. — Champions of Justice Gala Shatters Record, Remembering Fallen Heroes and Dallas to Kyiv: One Lawyer’s Solidarity with Ukraine

Texas Lawbook

The 2025 Champions of Justice Gala shattered previous fundraising records by collecting over $1 million to support legal aid for veterans, with AT&T’s David McAtee and Halliburton’s Van Beckwith co-chairing the event and receiving widespread support from the legal community. Keynote speaker Bryan Stevenson highlighted the importance of access to justice, while Texas lawyers Rebecca Flanigan and Fred Krasny were honored for their dedication to legal aid. Meanwhile, Dallas attorney Rogge Dunn raised over $100,000 at a dinner with Gen. David Petraeus to support Ukrainian mental health efforts and plans to attend the Kyiv Security Forum. In a separate initiative, Carry the Load launched its annual Memorial May campaign to honor fallen heroes, with longtime legal support from Sidley Austin’s Aaron Rigby, a U.S. Navy veteran and founding supporter of the nonprofit.

Carry the Load, a Dallas-based national nonprofit veteran and first responder organization, kicked off its Memorial May campaign Monday. The fundraiser, lasting through Memorial Day, features hundreds of events across the country to connect communities while honoring fallen service members. The signature event, the Dallas Memorial March, takes place over two days, May 25 and 26. The march begins at Reverchon Park at 3505 Maple Ave., Dallas, TX, 75219. More information about Memorial May and how to participate can be found here.

Since its inception in 2011, Carry the Load has gotten help from Aaron Rigby, a mergers and acquisitions and private equity partner in Sidley Austin’s Dallas office. Rigby, a co-chair of the firm’s Dallas pro bono and interest law committee, is a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he befriended Carry the Load founders Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley. Rigby helped the organization obtain its 501(c)(3) status and has assisted in most of its legal matters.

Rigby, who, while on active duty, served as an officer in two deployments to the Middle East, now serves on Carry the Load’s board of directors. His firm, Sidley, is a corporate partner of Carry the Load.

VA, non-profits partner to honor fallen Veterans during Memorial May

VA News

Throughout May, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration is joining forces with non-profit organizations Carry The Load, Travis Manion Foundation and Victory for Veterans to pay homage to Veterans interred in VA National Cemeteries through a series of events, volunteer opportunities and shared stories.

Through coordination between the National Cemetery Administration, Carry The Load, the Travis Manion Foundation and Victory for Veterans there will be over 70,000 anticipated volunteers visiting 54 VA national cemeteries throughout Memorial May. NCA has collaborated with Carry the Load for eight years, the Travis Manion Foundation for four years and Victory for Veterans for two years on Memorial May activities. Volunteers can learn more about events remembering and honoring military service members interred in VA’s 156 national cemeteries at the organization links below and on the NCA Memorial May webpage.

“These collaborations allow us to express our collective appreciation for Veterans’ service and sacrifice,” said Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters. “Through shared efforts, we honor their legacy and ensure their stories are never forgotten.”

Carry The Load Memorial May Activities

Beginning May 1, Carry The Load volunteers will visit 17 VA national cemeteries, traveling thousands of miles along three routes culminating in CTL’s signature May 25-26 Dallas Memorial March along the historic Katy Trail. Marchers carry signs, banners and American flags honoring a fallen friend or family member. Those who want to participate should register in advance.

Read more about how the VA is honoring fallen veterans here.

April 30, 2025

Remembering Green Beret Staff Sgt. Jeremie Border

Yahoo! News

By: Jessica Manfre

From the moment he first toddled around in G.I. Joe underwear, Jeremie Border’s destiny was clear: He was born to protect.

Hailing from Mesquite, Texas, his family didn’t come from a long line of service members. There was no pressure, no plan really, but it was meant to be. “He was born with a gun in his hand,” his mother Mary Border recalled. “From day one. God put him on Earth to protect and serve.”

But Jeremie’s story isn’t one of glory and medals–it’s about grit, loyalty and an unwavering heart. As a boy, he carried a toy gun tucked into his waistband and once broke his mother’s hand during a diaper-clad escape into traffic. “He stuck that gun down his diaper,” she said, “and when I went to spank him, I hit the plastic instead. My hand swelled up black and blue.”

On Memorial Day, his family honors him by participating in the Carry The Load Walk in Dallas. “We don’t cry as often as we used to,” said Mary, “but we still have our moments.”

Read more of Jeremie Border's story here.

April 29, 2025

Annual Memorial May walk honors fallen heroes and first responders in NYC

Pix 11 News

April 29, 2025

Carry the Load Arriving In Yardley Wednesday

MSN

By: Dino Ciliberti

Carry The Load is coming back to the borough on Wednesday.

Mayor Chris Harding is asking the public to come out on Wednesday to welcome Carry The Load to the borough.

"This year’s rally will be extra special for me," Harding said. "It marks the final time I’ll have the privilege of leading this incredible event as mayor, with my term coming to a close."

"I couldn’t be prouder of how our community has embraced this mission over the years. Let’s make this year’s event the most memorable yet," Harding said.

The borough is assembling a walking team to join the Carry The Load relay.

The 4-mile walk takes place at 1:30 p.m. at the Washington Crossing Park (across from the visitor center), departs at 2 p.m., and walks to Yardley, where it is expected at 3:30 p.m.

The borough will then hold a rally from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Yardley Borough Veterans Monument.

"Let’s show up big to cheer on the Carry The Load walkers as they pass through Yardley on their way to Texas," Harding said. "Bring your flags, signs, and spirit — let’s give them a sendoff they won’t forget. Let’s come together once again as a community and make this year’s Carry The Load experience unforgettable."

The Yardley Borough Police Department will have temporary road closures in place in the area of North and South Delaware Avenue.

Police advise drivers to detour to Woodside Road for southbound and Letchworth Avenue for northbound. Police said the Pennsbury School District has been advised of the road closures.

Carry the Load is a 4,500-mile relay that will pass through Bucks County on its way to Dallas. The trek began at West Point, N.Y., and brings awareness "to the true meaning of Memorial Day," the organization states.

Founded by Veteran U.S. Navy SEALs, Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley, Carry The Load started as a mission to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Today, it has grown to include more than just the nation's military heroes and more than just one holiday. Carry The Load works to bring all Americans together to participate in honoring the nation’s heroes every day.

The article Carry the Load Arriving In Yardley Wednesday appeared first on Yardley Patch.

April 29, 2025

‘Carry the Load’ Memorial May Walk to honor fallen service members will be this Thursday, May 1 in Kent

I Love Kent

By: Scott Schaefer

Carry The Load, a national nonprofit dedicated to honoring fallen military and first responders, will host a Memorial May walk this Thursday, May 1, 2025, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 18600 SE 240th Street in Kent.

The event is part of Carry The Load’s broader Memorial May campaign, which runs from April 28 through Memorial Day and features walks across the country to honor those who gave their lives in service.

Thousands of individuals, family members, and supporters are expected to participate nationwide, including a large turnout in Kent.

“Carry The Load first started out of anger and frustration for a nation that we felt had forgotten the true meaning of Memorial Day,” said Stephen Holley, co-founder, president and CEO of Carry The Load and a veteran U.S. Navy SEAL. “Since then, our Memorial May campaign has helped provide healing for friends and family of the fallen and keeps their memories alive.”

In addition to honoring fallen military members, Carry The Load also recognizes the service of first responders.

“It takes both our armed forces overseas and first responders back home to protect our families and communities,” Holley said.

All ages are welcome, and people are encouraged to fundraise and track miles walked during the campaign.

Donations support a wide range of veteran and survivor services, including suicide prevention, counseling, service dog programs, and education scholarships for children of the fallen.

Since its founding in 2011, Carry The Load has raised $46 million, with 93% of funds going directly to programs. This year’s campaign goal is $1.5 million.

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