On Wednesday, hundreds of volunteers gave back to fallen heroes at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. The efforts were part of Patriot Day, a nationally recognized day of service to mark the 9/11 anniversary.
Volunteers spread out across the more than 600-acre cemetery, hand-scrubbing thousands of headstones and beautifying the hallowed grounds.
The nonprofit Carry the Load organized the event, which aimed to restore the true meaning of veteran holidays like Memorial Day, and hosted events to connect the public with outreach benefitting veterans and their families.
For many, it was a fulfilling way to observe such a dark moment in our country's history.
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“On Patriot Day, we encourage Americans to honor the memory of 9/11 by serving in their communities and sharing stories of the first responders and military who paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe,” said Stephen Holley, co-founder, president, and CEO of Carry The Load and Veteran U.S. Navy SEAL.
Organizers said that as time goes on, there will be more younger generations who didn't experience 9/11, and these service efforts will create teachable moments for them.
"I have three young daughters, all born after Sept. 11. And for me, I was in the Marine Corps on Sept. 11 at the station in Virginia. So I was directly, kind of, involved as that day, as it unfolded and tragically lost so many lives,” said Judd Word, a Dallas firefighter and Carry the Load ambassador. “It's very important to make sure that we're continuing to educate the younger generation, make sure that they know what happened and understand why it's so important to remember this day."
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DFW National Cemetery was one of 67 national cemeteries nationwide to be included in Patriot Day, with a total of 4,000 volunteers.
“We have all these volunteers pick up scrub brushes and buckets and go around each headstone to clean them but they are also reading the names while they're doing it. They probably wouldn't normally do that any the other day. So in a way, they’re kind of breathing life back into the people that made the sacrifices and that stepped forward in the service of our country,” said Matt Thomas, a veteran and an ambassador for Carry the Load.
There will be more volunteer opportunities to give back to veteran causes. Carry the Load has events planned for Veterans Day in just a couple of months in November. Click here to get involved.
