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VA Encourages Volunteers to Join Cross-Country March Honoring Veterans, Service Members During ‘Memorial May’

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

A service member salutes while helping to place U.S. flags at every gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., during Flags In, May 26, 2022. The pre-Memorial Day tradition to honor the nation’s fallen heroes dates to 1948. Photo by Elizabeth Fraser, Army

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Between April 27 and May 29, the Department of Veterans Affairs will support a 20,000-mile march with more than 214,000 volunteers in honor of Veterans and service members.

The annual collaboration between VA’s National Cemetery Administration and Carry The Load will host rallies at 38 national cemeteries along five separate routes covering 48 states. All five routes converge on Memorial Day weekend for a final rally in Dallas, Texas — the culminating event for “Memorial May.”

The list of national cemeteries, along with the dates and times Carry The Load marchers will visit the cemeteries, can be found here.

“I can’t think of a better way to prepare for Memorial Day than to spend time walking with fellow patriots, remembering those who sacrificed on our behalf,” said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matt Quinn. “We encourage volunteers across America to join us in honoring our nation’s Veterans and service members.”

Those who wish to participate in a march are asked to register with Carry The Load in advance. No donation is required to participate. Carry The Load is a non-profit organization providing active ways to connect Americans to the sacrifices of the nation’s military, Veterans, first responders, and their families.

NCA will share video and photographs of the cemetery visits from April 27-May 27 on NCA’s Facebook and Twitter.