For the third consecutive year, Wright State University has welcomed hikers participating in Carry the Load, a month-long nationwide relay tribute to military service members, first responders and their families.<\/p>\n
Dozens of Wright State faculty and staff clapped and cheered as five participants arrived on the Dayton Campus carrying American flags and escorted by Wright State police cruisers. The hour-long stopover took place at the Captain Sean L. English Champion Garden outside the Wright State Veteran and Military Center<\/a> on May 16.<\/p>\n \u201cI think everyone carries something,\u201d said Kurt Holden, director of public safety at Wright State. \u201cEspecially when you\u2019re in police, military, firefighting, any type of first-responder or public safety field, you\u2019re carrying the load of others.\u201d<\/p>\n Fairborn firefighter Carl Fugate participated in the morning march from Fairborn Station 3 to Wright State in full firefighter safety gear. Fugate said he was walking to spread the memory of Fairborn police Detective Steven Jahns and help remove the stigma of talking about mental illness.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day we\u2019ve all experienced the same traumas and the same triumphs,\u201d said Fugate.<\/p>\n The Carry the Load hikers began their relay in Minneapolis and will travel 20,000 miles before concluding with the Dallas Memorial March on Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n Curtis Bell, a Marine veteran and medic for Carry the Load, is traveling with the group for its full route, from Minneapolis through his hometown of Dallas. Bell said he was impressed with the spaces that Wright State provides for its student veterans.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s refreshing to see the community embrace the veteran community and really support them,\u201d said Bell.<\/p>\n The Champion Garden was named in honor of Capt. Sean L. English, a 1999 Wright State and Army ROTC graduate. English was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. The garden was dedicated in English\u2019s honor during an outdoor ceremony<\/a> on Sept. 8, 2023.<\/p>\n The Veteran and Military Center provided breakfast and refreshments during the event.<\/p>\n The Carry the Load relay departed Wright State\u2019s Dayton Campus and headed to the Dayton National Cemetery before traveling to its next stop in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the third consecutive year, Wright State welcomed Carry the Load hikers who are honoring first responders and military personnel who have died in the line of duty. Continue reading