WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL ) — Memorial Day is one of several days to honor veterans, and the Carry the Load Movement aims to remind people of that fact.

Carry the Load is a 13-year-old movement. It started with a group marching across the East Coast to Dallas, but now the movement has five relays.

The relay group that moved through Wichita Falls started in Fargo, North Dakota, and traveled through the mountain states before reaching Wichita Falls. They started their march Saturday morning from the Veterans Memorial Park at Lake Wichita.

Along their path to Dallas, the team made stops and marched with citizens of towns who wanted to honor the veterans in their lives. For Carry the Load Ambassador John Kolschein, those marches are the most important and emotional part of the movement.

“The biggest group are those that actually have been impacted by the loss of a mother, father, son, daughter, and they’re going to walk in honor of that family member,” Kolschein said. “So, yes, it’s a very touching and true raw emotion when you have those folks walking with us in honor of that lost loved one. And so that’s been an inspiration for us as we continue to grow all these routes.”

The other routes that will join the mountain state route in Dallas are from New England, the East Coast, the Midwest, and the West Coast.

When they all converge in Dallas at Reverschon Park, there will be a two-day memorial march, during which as many as 75,000 people will march to honor service members and their families for the sacrifices they made.

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