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Alabama Personal Diary: Fred Hankey

October 22, 2001 5:00 AM

I got up on Monday morning and drove about 70 miles with my daughter to participate in the Flagrun. Along the way, I questioned myself about why I had volunteered to run. I have always had tremendous respect for our flag and what it represents, but I was still a little concerned about trying to run for several miles while carrying the flag.

We met at 8:00 in Bessemer, AL at the YMCA and out of six people scheduled for our leg, we had 3 to show! Many thanks to DeAnna for driving down from Nashville, and much admiration for Martha, a cancer survivor, for being there to help. My daughter, Crystal, had planned to only observe, but we quickly recruited her also. We heard that we had 13 miles to cover. We backtracked for several miles and our initial glimpse of the flag removed any doubts about why we were there.

Shortly thereafter we met up with Hollie and John, the run coordinators for Jefferson County. Their 4 year old daughter had been up with them since 2 AM. We felt a little easier when we found out that Hollie and John could run! Thanks to both for picking up the slack when we needed them. Thanks to the RV drivers, Curt and Pat, for coordinating with the State Troopers and keeping everything safe and moving.

What a wonderful feeling to finally hoist the flag and contribute a small portion to the effort. Each time that I passed the flag to another runner, I immediately wanted it back for another mile! I have never experienced anything like the personal satisfaction of seeing my daughter running with the flag held high.

Our segment of the run turned out to be over 16 miles and I definitely ran a lot more than I had expected, but I am still smiling for having had the opportunity. Thanks to DeAnna for pushing us up that last hill! Thanks to Doc, a co-worker at the Air National Guard, for being at the next checkpoint to receive the flag.

This event is not about the endurance of those running; it is about what our country is enduring and what our flag represents for every American. Thank God each day for your family and your freedoms and remember the families of those who lost their lives on September 11.

Fred Hankey Cullman, AL

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Updated: 11 October 2002
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