Carry The Load Comes To Billings For The First Time
- The Fly Box LLC
- May 24
- 4 min read
This feature was written by The Fly Box and published in Casts That Care, our charity-driven fly fishing newsletter.
Casts That Care delivers real stories, deep dives, and the heart of the fly fishing world while donating 50% of all subscription fees to a different fishing-related nonprofit each month. This month it is Warriors & Quiet Waters
Use code “WQWF15” for 25% off your first month, and we’ll donate an extra 15% to support their mission.
As Memorial Day weekend approaches, many Americans begin preparing for cookouts, travel plans, and the unofficial start of summer.
But for veteran organizations across the country, the weekend carries a much deeper meaning.
This year, Warriors & Quiet Waters is helping bring that meaning into focus in Montana through the first annual Carry The Load Memorial May event in Billings.
The event is part of Carry The Load’s nationwide Memorial May campaign, which was created to help restore the true meaning of Memorial Day while honoring veterans, first responders, and those who sacrificed in service to the country.
What Is Carry The Load?
Carry The Load is a national organization that hosts Memorial May events and rucks across the country each year.
The idea behind the movement is simple: encourage communities to come together in active remembrance instead of allowing Memorial Day to become just another long weekend.
Events are held in cities across the country and often include walks, rucks, gatherings, speakers, and opportunities for veterans, families, first responders, and civilians to connect.
This year marks the first time a Carry The Load Memorial May event will be held in Billings, Montana.
The First Event In Billings
Warriors & Quiet Waters is helping organize and support the first annual Montana Carry The Load event, which will take place next weekend in Billings.
The event will include both a 5K and a 4.5-mile route, along with speakers, a national anthem ceremony, food trucks, community gathering spaces, and tables featuring veteran-focused organizations.
Unlike many nonprofit events tied to Memorial Day weekend, the event is not centered around fundraising.
Instead, the focus is on bringing the community together in recognition of service, sacrifice, and continued support for veterans and first responders.
The event is expected to create a relaxed but meaningful atmosphere where veterans, families, and community members can gather together while reflecting on the significance of Memorial Day.
More Than A Fundraiser
One of the more unique aspects of the Billings Carry The Load event is that it is intentionally not designed as a fundraising campaign.
While Warriors & Quiet Waters and other veteran organizations rely heavily on community support throughout the year, the goal of Carry The Load is centered more around awareness, remembrance, and community participation.
The event is meant to create space for people to come together physically and intentionally during Memorial Day weekend instead of simply observing the holiday from a distance.
That emphasis on participation and visibility has become a major part of why Carry The Load events continue expanding across the country.
Why Events Like This Matter
For many veterans and military families, Memorial Day carries emotional weight that can often get lost beneath the noise of holiday weekends and social media posts.
Events like Carry The Load are designed to help communities reconnect with the meaning behind the holiday while also reminding people that support for veterans should not begin and end with a single weekend each year.
Organizations like Warriors & Quiet Waters continue that support year-round through programming, community-building, and long-term veteran engagement. But events like Carry The Load create an opportunity for the broader public to participate in that mission together.
Looking Ahead
As the first annual Carry The Load event arrives in Billings, Warriors & Quiet Waters hopes the event can continue growing in the years ahead while bringing more veterans, families, and community members together.
And while the routes, speakers, and gatherings are all important parts of the weekend, the larger goal remains simple.
To ensure Memorial Day continues to mean something.
Not just as a holiday, but as a reminder of service, sacrifice, and the responsibility to continue supporting those who carried the load long after their military service ends.
For the month of May, Casts That Care is proud to partner with Warriors & Quiet Waters.
Throughout the month, we will be sharing their story through daily content, highlighting their programs, and expanding awareness within the fly fishing community.
We will also be donating 50% of all subscription revenue in May directly to support their work.
This feature was written by The Fly Box and published in Casts That Care, our charity-driven fly fishing newsletter.
Casts That Care delivers real stories, deep dives, and the heart of the fly fishing world while donating 50% of all subscription fees to a different fishing-related nonprofit each month. This month it is Warriors & Quiet Waters
Use code “WQWF15” for 25% off your first month, and we’ll donate an extra 15% to support their mission.
Comments