May 16, 2024

Locals help ‘Carry The Load’ to honor fallen military, first responders

InForum

By: Robin Huebner

FARGO — Supporters of a nonprofit are on a mission to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day by walking to honor fallen military and first responders.

Carry The Load’s national relay made its way through Fargo on Wednesday, May 15, on the way to covering 20,000 miles with five different routes through 48 continental states, organizers said.

The relay raises funds to help with challenges that members of the military, veterans, first responders and their families face, with a goal this year of $2 million in fundraising.

A group of people carrying flags stands in a group in a parking lot on a rainy day. They stand in a large bus which is red and features depictions of military and first responders. Under a cool, steady rain, participants hoisted flags and carried backpacks over their shoulders on a trek that began in Oak Grove Park.

John Kohlschein, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Dallas, has been honoring the fallen as a relay ambassador since 2016.

“We still are able to do what we do here even in the rain, based on their sacrifice. I’m free to join this group and so I am not going to complain about the weather in the least,” he said.

Event coordinator Madison Woodson said the relay is meant to ensure the service of veterans and first responders is never forgotten.

“Our mission out here is to be able to share their stories forever so that way, their legacy lives on,” she said.

Joining the group on the walk was Tracy Dunham of Ulen, Minnesota.

Her brother Brady Oberg was deployed with the U.S. Army for a year to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder upon his return, Oberg died at age 27 by suicide in August 2015.

Dunham leads the Brady Oberg Legacy Foundation, which organizes retreats for combat veterans and establishes scholarships for people entering the mental health field.

She said she likes to support other groups that honor veterans.

“We’re all kind of for the same mission,” Dunham said.

John Dalziel of Dilworth helps organize rucksack marches for the Oberg foundation.

He also walked in the rain with coworkers from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

“The names on the back of my ruck are buddies of mine that have either taken their own life or died in combat,” Dalziel said.

Begun in 2011, the Carry The Load relay got its start this year on April 29 in West Point, New York, with its east coast route.

The Fargo stop marked day one of the mountain states route.

Walkers went from Oak Grove Park to Fargo Fire Station No. 4 and on to Scheels Home and Hardware for lunch.

After that, organizers hopped a bus for relay stops in Bismarck and Mandan Wednesday night, eventually making their way through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado.

Buses from all five routes then converge on Memorial Day weekend in Dallas for a two-day event at Reverchon Park. Memorial Day is Monday, May 27.

Rilea Stapf, involved with Carry The Load for a decade, said the group is like family.

“Even though we only do this for one part of the year, it leaves a lasting impression throughout the entire year,” she said.

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Locals help ‘Carry The Load’ to honor fallen military, first responders

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