More than 3,600 people took part in Jacksonville’s Carry Forward 5K on Saturday, running or walking through the city and carrying American flags, News4JAX reported. Veterans, families and other community members gathered for the event benefiting Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), whose headquarters are in Jacksonville.
The race is a local fundraising event for an organization whose services reach well beyond the city. In its financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2024, WWP said it provided programs and services at no cost to approximately 220,000 registered warriors and 55,000 families and caregivers. Army veteran and participant Kevin Sosa told News4JAX that fundraising helps support those no-cost services.
Local turnout, broader veteran community
Florida’s veteran population provides statewide context for the event, though it does not indicate how many veterans attended the Jacksonville race. The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs reports 1,379,000 veterans in the state, based on fiscal 2023 demographic information from the VA’s Veteran Population Projection Model 2018.
Jacksonville is not the only city to host a Carry Forward 5K. Yahoo reported that more than 1,800 people participated in a San Antonio event, where people walked and ran while carrying flags, weights or other participants. That local event has brought the San Antonio community together since 2019, the report said.
The Jacksonville and San Antonio turnouts show two communities organizing around veteran support; their attendance figures alone do not establish a national trend. In Jacksonville, the reported crowd made the 5K a large public gathering for WWP and the people it serves.
