Carry The Load

A national march that converges on Dallas every Memorial Day — founded to restore meaning to the day.

Carry The Load is not a race or a fundraising walk in the conventional sense. Participants carry a load — a weighted pack, a flag, something physical — as a deliberate act of remembrance for the military personnel, veterans, and first responders who have died in service. The event was founded in 2011 by two Navy SEALs who felt Memorial Day had drifted from its original purpose. What started as a small march in Dallas has grown into a national movement that draws marchers from cities across the country, all converging on Reverchon Park in Dallas for Memorial Day weekend. ESW manages full production of the Dallas convergence.

Carry The Load was founded in Dallas in 2011 by Navy SEALs Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley. The premise is straightforward: participants carry a load through their community — a weighted pack, a flag, or another physical item — as an act of remembrance for fallen military, veterans, and first responders. The National March brings teams marching continuously from multiple cities across the country, converging on Dallas at Reverchon Park for a multi-day Memorial Day weekend gathering. ESW manages full event operations for the Dallas convergence — the largest single production point in the national program. We also support the surrounding Memorial May community march programming.

Carry The Load began in 2011 as a grassroots march in Dallas. The founders were Navy SEALs who wanted Memorial Day to feel like something again — a day of active remembrance rather than a long weekend. The first event was small. Over the years that followed, it grew into a national march format: teams start continuous marches from multiple cities on the East Coast, West Coast, and South, carrying their loads through communities over several days before converging in Dallas for Memorial Day weekend. The organization now produces community marches in dozens of cities nationwide and is a Combined Federal Campaign participant (CFC #20469). In 2024, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognized Memorial May as a national observance.

Producing the Dallas convergence for a multi-day national relay.

The Carry The Load Dallas convergence is a multi-day event that serves as the endpoint for marchers arriving from cities across the country. It requires a sustained operational presence — not a single race-day push, but days of continuous site management, participant support, and programming. The tone of the event demands that the production be organized and calm. Every element of the site is in service of the people participating and the names they are carrying.