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Channel Islands\u2013 It was a day of remembrance and honor at the Harbor Saturday, May 7, as a large crowd of supporters, First Responders, Soldiers, Police Officers, and Firemen joined the Carry The Load Walk honoring fallen first responders and members of the Military.<\/em><\/p>\n The four-mile wal\u00adk featured beau\u00ad\u00adti\u00adful harbor views on a sunny morning, with stops at Oxnard Fire Station 6, decorated especially for the event, and proceeded up Mandalay Beach Road to the Embassy Suites Hotel, then Oxnard State Beach Park, where the walkers saw a great display of photos of fallen first responders.<\/p>\n The event was run by 911 At Ease Program Director Jeff McGreevey, who retired from law enforcement after 29 years.<\/p>\n 911 At Ease International is a non-profit that helps first responders. McGreevy wanted to do something to honor first responders, so they partnered with Carry The Load, a national nonprofit, to honor fallen first responders and military members.<\/p>\n \u201cI know a lot of first responders who gave everything they had for this community,\u201d he said. \u201cI know their families, and I wanted to do something to recognize them. I went to the police academy 30 years ago, and in that 30 years, there are 20 to 30 first responders locally that were killed in various ways. We wanted to do something to show that we didn\u2019t forget them, we remember them, and we also wanted to do something nice for their families. Today, we have about 10 surviving families of first responders who gave it all for this community.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the walk is at a leisurely pace and will take about 90 minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about 4.5 miles, and we are not competing,\u201d McGreevey said. \u201cI\u2019m just so honored to see so many people who came out here to support this.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the Harbor is a great partner.<\/p>\n \u201cThey helped us get our permit through on short notice,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I needed a permit to go for a walk, but they were very gracious, and we got a permit. We also got a TUP (Temporary Use Permit) from the City of Oxnard. Everybody from the county and the city have been fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeffrey Lambert from the Ventura County Community Foundation said when McGreevey told him how they were honoring first responders and the military, he had to come and show his support.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ventura County Community Foundation supports the 911 At Ease International, which provides mental health support for current first responders, \u201c he said. \u201cThis an expansion of that commitment to that population.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the Community Foundation has responded to disasters in the area, from the fires to the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cIn particular, last summer, we supported the 911 At Ease Launch in Ventura County,\u201d he said. \u201cWe actually provided direct mental health support to those that are First Responders, including those in the healthcare industry that struggles with Covid response.\u201d<\/p>\n Lambert planned to set the curve with walking but said he adopted two dogs on May 7, so he might need to go home.<\/p>\n \u201cOur household is a little crazy right now, but I wanted to be here at the beginning,\u201d he said. Lambert said the Community Foundation was a great move.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get to help the community, our donors, and our philanthropists in Ventura County support local non-profits,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I do all day.\u201d<\/p>\n Kerri Berntsen came all decked out in a red, white, and blue skirt and noted that her BFF is a member of 911 At Ease, and she invited her.<\/p>\n \u201cI figured I\u2019d be patriotic, and peer pressure works really well with me,\u201d she said. \u201cI came from a military family, and I was a military brat. I\u2019m wearing a red patriotic shirt, and I have on a red, white, and blue tutu, I don\u2019t have patriotic socks on, but it all works out.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the military is near and dear to her heart, and her dad and uncle were in the military.<\/p>\n \u201cI do know a few firemen and paramedics that are friends of mine, but the military is near and dear to my heart,\u201d she said. \u201cMy dad was part of Desert Storm, and he was an engineer in the military for 25 years, then he was a military contractor, so he still dealt with the military once he retired.\u201d<\/p>\n She said people living the military life are part of a family, everybody looked out for each other, and when the ships came home, it was a big deal.<\/p>\n \u201cI survived many deployments with my dad overseas, and I understand what it\u2019s like to be young and miss your kids and parents during the holiday,\u201d she said. \u201cI respect that they\u2019ve given their lives for our freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n Michelle Savage came to support her friend Jenny.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are walking for fallen heroes, and I worked with Michael, her husband,\u201d Michelle said. \u201cJenny wanted to do it, and I support her in all these things. We\u2019re always here for her.\u201d<\/p>\n Jenny said her husband is one of the fallen officers being remembered.<\/p>\n \u201cMy husband, Michael Clark, was killed in 1995,\u201d she said. \u201cAny time there is something like this, I always want people to remember his name as well as the names of all the other fallen officers.\u201d<\/p>\n McGreevey said even if you missed the event, you can still donate and show support.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you go to carrytheload.org, and search for our team, 911 At Ease, we\u2019re the only team that will populate,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can make a donation, and it\u2019s going to come right back to this community. What we do is pay for confidential sponsors for the First Responders and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n