At Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee, volunteers gathered on September 11 to clean veterans' headstones in a simple but heartfelt gesture honoring the fallen on a day of remembrance.
Time has worn on the stones — but not the sacrifice. On the anniversary of September 11th, volunteers came with one mission: honor the fallen.
"We owe the veterans a lot. We owe our freedom to the veterans," said Mary Dutkiewicz, a retired VA nurse.
"It's what we're supposed to do. It's part of the social contract to live in a free country — you gotta be willing to do some things not for profit," said BJ Ganem with Carry The Load.
Ganem lost his leg in Iraq in 2004, but that never stopped him from moving with purpose. With his prosthetic, he continues to lead — organizing this event as a tribute to the brothers he lost and a call for others to serve in their memory.
"I'm not special. I'm proud of my service, but it doesn't make me special," Ganem said. "Another complete and total stranger that has served before us is at least getting a clean headstone, and their memory isn't gonna fade away."
Mike Skaar, a Marine veteran, served alongside Ganem in the U.S. Marines. On this September 11, their message is simple: honor through action.
Watch: Volunteers honor fallen veterans at Wood National Cemetery
"There's a story behind every one of these names. We lost five good guys in our unit, not a day goes by I don't think of them," Skaar said.
"Seeing these grave stones is really touching. Anything I can do to help out and play my part, that's what I'm willing to do," Skaar said.
Wood National Cemetery has stood since the Civil War. More than 37,000 veterans are buried here — but for those scrubbing, each headstone is special.
"That's why they went out there. They were proud of their country," Dutkiewicz said.
"It gives you hope, especially in this time where we're so divisive, to see the most amount of volunteers in the four years we've been doing this. Gives me a lot of hope," Ganem said.
Every name cleaned. Every stone honored. And on a day when America mourns so many lost lives, this quiet tribute shines.
"It's the least I can do for them," Dutkiewicz said.
For more information, visit www.carrytheload.org.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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