VA’s National Cemetery Administration is partnering again with the nonprofit Carry The Load for a Memorial May campaign.

Carry the Load provides active ways for Americans to honor and remember the sacrifices made by our nation’s fallen heroes. This year marks the ninth annual Memorial May campaign. It is the second year for VA cemeteries joining to help promote Carry The Load’s signature event. The National Relay is a 15,000-mile trek across the country culminating with a Memorial Day ceremony in Dallas, Texas.

First Virtual National Relay

This year, the National Relay, with 30 stops in national cemeteries, is a virtual relay. Participants can register for the virtual relay at carrytheload.org/register. By registering, participants can form virtual teams and build community partnerships. National cemeteries and Carry The Load will recognize fallen Veterans by featuring a “Veteran of the Day” on social media.

Memorial Drive, Facebook Live and National Moment of Remembrance

Memorial Day typically has a traditional ceremony. This year, Carry The Load will host the 2020 Dallas Memorial Drive from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Central Time May 25. Participants must register their vehicles in advance to join the honor drive near Reverchon Park in Dallas, Texas. From 12 pm to 3 p.m. central, Carry The Load has a Facebook Live sharing event, “Lessons from the Front.”  Patriots are encouraged to pause at 3 p.m. local time for a one-minute “National Moment of Remembrance.” This moment is to honor those who died in service to the nation. Although this year’s events will look different, the mission to honor fallen heroes remains the same.

For more details on the 2020 Carry The Load National Relay, visit their website. Read more on last year’s National Relay here.

“In this time of uncertainty, our mission and our purpose has not changed,” said Stephen Holley, president and CEO of Carry The Load and Navy SEAL Veteran. “Since 2011, Carry The Load has provided an outlet for financial and emotional support to our nation’s heroes. With our current situation, the entire world has become painfully aware of the courage and sacrifice of those on the front lines.”

VA National Cemeteries across the nation are partnering with Carry The Load for a virtual relay this Memorial Day to honor the fallen.

VA National Cemeteries across the nation are partnering with Carry The Load for a virtual relay this Memorial Day to honor the fallen.

No Veteran Ever Dies

“The National Cemetery Administration greatly values our close partnership with Carry The Load, and Memorial Day provides an important opportunity to work together to pay tribute to the fallen and their families,” Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves said. “Our organizations’ missions are closely aligned, as we make sure that ‘No Veteran Ever Dies.’ This year’s online Memorial Day event will allow people to participate without traveling long distances. So, we actually have an opportunity to reach more people in more places than we would otherwise.”

VA operates 142 national cemeteries and 33 soldiers’ lots and monument sites in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam. For Veterans not buried in a VA national cemetery, VA provides headstones, markers or medallions to commemorate their service. Information on VA burial benefits is available from local VA national cemetery offices, online at https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/, or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000. To make burial arrangements at any open VA national cemetery, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.

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2 Comments

  1. Diana Macias May 17, 2020 at 17:39

    V A partnering with Carry The Load is awesome. My family and I walked the Los Angeles, Riverside, and Moreno Valley areas. We walked proudly carrying our HEROES and our flag. This year we visited the same destinations and took photos. Carry The Load is something we need to present and teach to our schools children. This year I hope more families, friends, and coworkers participate. So if you see someone carrying a Carry The Load backpack, don’t look away, stop and ask what it means. If you do know ask, Who are you carrying? You’ll be glad you asked because an eye opening, wonderful and/or sad story of HEROES will be told with LOVE,SADNESS,HOPEFULLNESS but most of all REMEMBERANCE and HONOR.

  2. Terry Killn May 14, 2020 at 10:54

    No doubt, others may leave some negative VA comments about this endeavor. Hard to say if they need to leave some kind of identification who they might be. But rest assured, I (many) admire and reflect on others as you go forward.

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