As Memorial Day approaches, nonprofit Carry the Load is working to remind people the meaning behind the day.
Wright State University welcomed members of Carry the Load’s relay team Thursday morning.
"So they strapped on a pack and started walking, and from there Carry The load was born."
The program honored first responders and U.S. military personnel who have died in the line of duty.
The event was part of an annual national relay, traveling over 20,000 miles, culminating with a Memorial Day weekend march in Dallas.
Event organizers spoke about the importance of remembering that the original meaning behind Memorial Day as a way to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service.
Matt Simon told a crowd gathered about the history of the program.
“So for those of you that don’t know, Carry the Load was born out of a place of anger, honestly,” Simon said. “Two veteran Navy Seals back in 2011 just felt like their friends had died for nothing and we as a society weren’t doing our part in honoring their lives and their sacrifice. So they strapped on a pack and started walking and from there Carry the Load was born."
Seth Gordon, director of the Veteran and Military Center at Wright State, highlighted the high suicide rate among military veterans and the need to listen.
Gordan produces the Veteran's Voices series for WYSO and shared one of the interviews from the series. In the interview, Marine Corps veteran, Steven Strain, started by reading the names of 14 people who died by suicide in his unit.
“If the person in your life has a story to share and they are willing to share it, not everybody is and not everybody is ready. Take the time to listen. That’s probably the best thing we can do this Memorial Day is to help people say the names of the people who aren’t here for them,” Gordon said.
If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, contact the confidential Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988, then press 1; or text 838255.
The event also highlighted Wright State's new Captain Sean L. English Champion Garden, which was created to celebrate those who support — or champion — veterans, including other veterans, family members, faculty, staff and those who work with them.
The garden is named in honor of Shawn English, a 1999 Wright State Army ROTC graduate who was killed in action in Iraq in 2006.
A bench in the garden memorializes Christopher Roche II, who worked in the Veteran and Military Center as a student and died in 2020. Roche majored in cyber security and served in the U.S. Navy before transferring to the Navy Reserves.
