Who Are You Carrying?
Let's do this.
Transition Skills Training is proud to again be selected to serve as a National Nonprofit Partner of Carry The Load. We help raise awareness. We invite friends to participate in special events all around the country. We honor fallen soldiers and first responders, and the families they have left behind. Join Our Team, Volunteer, Donate - All are welcome.
What Is Carry The Load?
Carry The Load is a 501c3 nonprofit that works to bring back the true meaning of Memorial Day. During the month of May, they host walking events around the country, providing a simple way to honor fallen soldiers and first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Watch this video to learn more about our Memorial May activities.
WHERE TO FIND US
There are hundreds of events for Memorial May around the country and you can join in with any of them. If you're looking for TST:
Memorial Day Weekend
TST will be hosting the Carry The Load rally at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on the Saturday before Memorial Day. This event is only open to military families with DoD Base Access at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. It is free and we will walk the perimeter of Ford Island along their new Historical Trail.
Various Events Around the US in May
Check out the map of relays and rallies (a relay is for walking, a rally will keep you in one spot). We will have friends and family walking in Texas, Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida, Colorado and Hawaii.
Need help finding an event, let us know!
The Official Memorial March
TST will be represented at Reverchon Park in Dallas, TX during this year's official Memorial Day March, to honor our nation's heroes with a two-day event, including a 20 hour march along the Katy Trail.
WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
We have live, in-person events AND easy, online activities to choose from. All are welcome to join our team. You can walk with us - we have family, friends, and business supporters in Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, Colorado and Hawaii so far this year.
- Fun & Meaningful events in cities across the country
- Virtual fundraising campaigns, we'll give you the tools
- You can join our team OR cheer from the sidelines
- Walk with us in the national relay, making stops across the US
- Cycling is also an option, you can do the walk on a bike!
- Create your own team & host your own events if you want to
- You can do a personal challenge (these are fun and can help you get in shape too, if that's your thing)
- Simple donations are always welcome!
We are carrying Corporal Gregory Jon Olsen.
The family of TST Director CJ Niehoff lost a son, a brother, a cousin, a friend.
Greg died May 25, 1969 in Vietnam. He was 22 years old.
Greg served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was in a heavy mortar platoon in Dinh Tuong Province when a gasoline explosion burned him badly. He succumbed to his wounds two days later. “Everybody loved Greg, both back home and in-country. He was a special part of our family and we’re all proud of his service and were devastated by his sacrifice,” recalled his cousin C.J. Niehoff. Greg’s family received a letter from a fellow soldier, Dennis Thian, explaining that Greg had helped him get through Vietnam and was a “hell of a man.” There are many similar stories about Greg Olsen.
This poster will be displayed along the Relay Routes & Memorial Rally
We have scheduled Greg's memorial poster to be on display in his hometown and where family and friends are likely to be participating in the Memorial May events. These events are not a rah-rah fundraising opportunity. They are so much more. We are making sure that the fallen are remembered.
Who do you carry?
If you have a friend or family member that has been lost while in service in the military or as a first responder, that is who you carry.
If you would like to have a storyboard like this made in their honor, please email us and we will help you have a storyboard like this one made. There is no cost for this gesture in service to your family or friend. Any member of the US military who is lost while serving in wartime can be included. We are also able to extend this service for fallen first responders. Any man or woman who dies while serving all of us deserves to be honored, respected and remembered.
Even if you do not want to have a storyboard made, you can participate with us in person or virtually for the Memorial May events over the coming months. If you decide to walk with us, you will "carry" them with you, with the option to display their name and to share their story, or not. This is a reverent and personal choice and our team will follow your lead on how much or how little to share.
Any Questions?
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions about how you can participate or support this work. We need boots on the ground, hands at work and of course, donations are always welcome.