To die for ones country is to live for freedom. 

At some point we moved from memorials to parties. Somewhere along the way we got distracted by cookouts and beer, friends and vacation, and lake houses and boats. Somehow a day meant to honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom turned into a vacation day from work, an excuse to party, and a reason to self-indulge.

On May 24th and 25th I will be participating in the Dallas Memorial March hosted by Carry The Load. Please read below about the founder, Clint Bruce, and a brief description from their website of what inspired him to start Carry The Load.

“A few years ago, former Navy SEAL and war veteran Clint Bruce sat at a barbecue on Memorial Day. As he thought about his friends he lost in combat, he couldn’t help but notice that the people around him had a very different view of what Memorial Day meant. To some it was a party. To others, a day off of work. Not knowing what else to do, Clint came up with a way to honor his fallen brethren, and share in the pain that they went through to give us our freedom. He decided to do what he did most when he was protecting our country along side the buddies he lost. Clint strapped on his pack and began walking, all the while thinking about the guys that sacrificed for him, and for you. As he walked, he encountered another veteran, an older gentleman who knew exactly why, and exactly what Bruce was doing without either of them speaking a word. With understanding and wisdom the man simply said, “Son, who are you carrying?” And with those five words, Carry The Load was born. Since then, it has been Clint Bruce’s and fellow Navy SEAL veteran Stephen Holley’s tireless mission to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day, and connect Americans to the sacrifices of our military, law enforcement, firefighters and rescue personnel. Get involved and show your support through participation, donating to the cause, or volunteering at a Carry The Load event. We realize that you may never walk a mile in one of our nation’s heroes’ shoes, but you do have the opportunity to walk along side them to honor what they’ve done.”

The march lasts for 20 hours and 15 minutes. This Memorial Day it is my goal to walk for the entire march. I will be carrying my Marine Corps 782 gear, (our field gear), which will equate to a minimum of 50 pounds.

As some of you may know I volunteer significantly with local Dallas non-profit Heroes in Action. Heroes in Action is similar to Carry The Load in the sense that it exists to remember, respect, and recognize police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and military service members. It is my goal to raise $2,000 for Carry The Load. However, I am looking for people who would be willing to match their donation with Carry The Load to Heroes in Action if I am able to march the entire 20 hours and 15 minutes.

If you are interested in supporting my Carry The Load team, please see our participation page for the Heroes in Action – Carry The Load Team. If you would be willing to match your donation to Carry The Load with a donation to Heroes in Action, please contact me on Facebook or email me at jesse@goheroes.org.