Hello Mountain men (and women). Happy day after Memorial Day. I had the privilege of walking in the final, Dallas leg of the Carry the Load march over the weekend. It was a great day to remember. Over $1 million was raised and several terrific charities that support veterans and first responders will benefit greatly. There were thousands in attendance, and we did Memorial Day right. Sometime in the evening, I passed a man carrying a black ruck with a small Mountain patch on the back. He was talking with someone as I passed, so I gave him a slap on the back and a “Climb to Glory!” Moments later, I heard him call out to me, so I turned and he asked me if I had served in the 10th. After I said yes, I asked him about his service. Turns out, this man was walking in honor of his son, Sgt. Gregory Owens Jr. who was with the 4/25 Field Artillery of the 10th, and was killed by an IED in Afghanistan on 7/20/09. I thanked him as best I could for his sacrifice and told him I honored his son’s service and his memory. We chatted briefly and he thanked me for walking. I was humbled by this man who lost his son, but was now humping a ruck in the dark to bring meaning back to Memorial Day. The Dallas walk was 20 hours and 14 minutes long; participants could walk for as long and as far as they wanted, and carry as much as they wanted. I swear, super-men still live. Like the man who walked 79 miles with his load, or the young soldier in uniform who did 37 miles with his 90 pound ruck. I also saw a small woman with a 50-pound ruck moving out sharply on her 20th mile, a young boy (maybe 10) completing his 24th mile, lots of firemen carrying huge hoses, police officers carrying gear, and thousands of others who came to the event and walked, many “carrying” loved ones or buddies who served (or are serving) in the armed forces or as first responders. And, to prove God loves the infantry, he must have seen some of us on the trail and sent lots of rain to walk in. I had the honor of carrying two former 10th Mountain soldiers myself, SSG Tommy Folks, a friend who was killed by an IED in Iraq in 2005 (while serving with the 36th Inf. of the Texas National Guard), and SPC Mike Wargo, a former infantryman who struggled with post-traumatic stress and took his life last year. This walk honored those men and thousands more like them. It was a great day, and I look forward to doing it again next year. I hope you all had a memorable Memorial Day.
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 23:34:19 +0000
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