About 100 participate in Cape's inaugural Carry the Load

At the first-ever Cape Girardeau Carry the Load event Monday morning, two types of people stood in front of the Mississippi River floodwall downtown.

Some stretched, pulling their tennis shoes backward, loosening their leg muscles. Others stood quietly, dressed in full military uniform, waiting patiently for the police escort to arrive.

But everyone attended this Memorial Day event for the same purpose -- to honor those who couldn't be there.

"The purpose of Carry the Load is to restore the meaning of Memorial Day," co-organizer Jacob Fish said. "Something as veterans we deal with a lot is people coming up on Memorial Day and thanking you for your service, and that's Veterans Day. Memorial Day is strictly to honor those who have given their life in the line of duty."

About 100 people waited to carry backpacks, umbrellas and flags. A few firefighters carried their equipment, waiting to make the 3 1/2-mile walk to the Osage Centre for the annual Memorial Day Ceremony.

Nick August walks with other participants along Broadway in the first Carry the Load event Monday in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

After the ceremony, they would continue walking to Cape County Memorial Park-North for lunch and to commemorate the day.

"We've got a little bit of everybody -- Navy, Air Force, Marines, Army, National Guard, active, reserve, retired, everything -- the whole nine yards," Fish said. "And then obviously some fire guys, some law enforcement ... for sure the Perryville people are flying in [to the park by helicopter] as long as they don't get a call, as well as Sikeston."

Standing among his fellow Team RWB members, Gary Villalobos was walking for those who couldn't.

Team RWB -- red, white and blue -- is a not-for-profit organization for veterans, keeping them connected to their community through physical and social events. The group traveled from Carbondale, Illinois, and were excited to participate in the regional leg of a nationwide event.

"The idea is to remind people what this holiday is really about," Villalobos said.

Participants walk north along Kingshighway during the first Carry the Load event Monday in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

"It's not about a three-day weekend, it's not about barbecuing, it's not about the soldiers and the people who are alive. It's about the ones who never came back, and I think that's an honorable cause."

Villalobos is active in the Army.

Firefighter Trent August considered his load today to be on the lighter side. Standing with his son and fellow firefighter Nick August, the two carried about 22 pounds each -- roughly a third of what their full gear could weigh.

The Augusts are part of the Rock Community Fire District and traveled to Cape Girardeau from Arnold, Missouri, to participate in Carry the Load.

"We're here to just pay tribute and honor all the fire service members who have fallen -- and the military," August said.

For a lot of those walking, the memory of those who have died is one of the heaviest things. Michael Wozniak, a Navy veteran, said Monday he was walking for his family.

"I lost an uncle in World War II at the Normandy invasion; my dad and all his brothers were in the Army and Navy," he said. "I was in the Navy. My two brothers, one was in the Seabees and one was in the Airborne Divison, so I just feel it's our patriotic duty to support this.

"I believe that we need to re-institute the patriotic fervor of this country at a homegrown level and educate the kids more about that, about the bloodshed and the turmoil ... It wasn't cheap."

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

pertinent addresses:

Downtown Cape Girardeau

1625 N. Kingshighway

2400 County Park Drive