In an effort to raise awareness about what Memorial Day is all about, Coleman Ruiz, a former Navy Seal, and his Carry the Load relay team will be passing through DeKalb County this week as part of their 1,700 mile march from West, Point New York to Dallas, Texas.
They began their cross-country journey on May 1 as a way of honoring the service and sacrifice of American troops past and present. The relay team will enter DeKalb County early Thursday morning, May 17 at around 1:00 a.m. coming from White County on Highway 70 through Smithville, Dowelltown, and Liberty and then onto Highway 96 toward Rutherford County.
The idea for the relay came about last year after Ruiz and other members of Carry the Load, a Dallas-based nonprofit, organized a Memorial Day relay in Dallas as a charity fundraiser. This year’s relay wraps up in Dallas on May 27, the day before Memorial Day.
Proceeds from the relay go to such charities as the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, which offers support to the families of fallen troops.
The team hopes to find volunteers to walk each leg of the round-the-clock relay, divided into five-mile stretches. They walk the miles themselves otherwise.
Some carry tokens in honor or in memory of friends or strangers. Ruiz carries the badge of New York Fire Department Capt. Harvey Harrell, who died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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