One step at a time, wearing the boots her daughter was wearing the day she died, Mary Tator is keeping the memory of Abigail Jenks alive.

“She drew her whole life,” Tator said recalling what Abby spent many hours doing since she was a little girl. “She drew over 100 pieces of her own art and I would love for that to be her legacy."

In 2021, the paratrooper who called the Capital Region home was killed during a routine training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C. She was 20 years old.

“She understood life,” Tator said. “She drew life; she also drew death.”

Tator joined dozens of others this Memorial Day for the annual Abigail Jenks Ruck.

“A ruck is essentially a military-style backpack,” organizer Vincent Sablich explained. “The verb 'to ruck' is to literally throw a backpack on with weight.”

The event was spearheaded three years ago by Sablich and his close friend Jack Trimmings.

“It was just a group of three or four guys that we knew could handle the task,” Trimmings said. “We ended up rucking around 30 miles that year.”

It’s evolved into a more community-oriented event benefiting the Abigail Jenks Scholarship at Saratoga Springs High School and the Veterans Housing Coalition.

“We wanted to get the community behind our message and really just have an event where we can all share a little bit of suffering,” Trimmings said.

“Every step you take, remember that someone took a step before you," Sablich said, "and the steps we’re honoring are those who took the ultimate step and gave their lives.”

Jenks was top of mind as those steps were taken Monday, but organizers and Tator want those in attendance to have left with much more.

“She represents fallen soldiers across the nation,” Tator said. “They’re in our hearts and we’re carrying on their light.”