The Things She Carries

Traci Uribe traveled 590 miles away from her family in San Antonio to participate in an endurance event, but she felt close to her husband, Army veteran Javier Uribe.

“I wanted to feel what it was like to carry his burdens as a veteran,” Traci said.

While Javier was at home taking care of their three children, Traci was running through deep sand and high ridges in the Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico.

“But never in our relationship have I felt closer to him,” Traci said.

Traci went out of her way to put herself in his shoes — wearing combat boots and a weighted vest to honor his days carrying 120 pounds of medical equipment as a combat medic.

“I kept reminding myself that while I could drop off some weight, he didn’t have the opportunity to put his weight down while he was in service,” Traci said.

Javier returned from Iraq with visible and invisible wounds that changed his outlook and caused some physical problems. Together, he and Traci negotiate the deep sands and high ridges of their relationship while managing his PTSD and leading busy lives.

Traci participates in fitness events to stay physically active — and to gain a better understanding of her husband’s military service. In fact, it has become her personal mission.

Read the rest of the story in Homeland magazine.