The awe-inspiring glow of our Connecticut reception was still with us as we headed toward the NY state line. Katherine O'Malley did a great job with Team Connecticut. With Mike Burr, Mark Hunnibell and Frank LaCorte all being "hometown" guys, the crowds had turned out by the thousands in the many towns and villages that make up the southern Connecticut coast. (Being from the south, I had always categorized the states north of Maryland as "up north"-I've lately learned a lot about the hearts and souls of New Englanders.) Each was greeted by friends and relatives; fire departments and police stations.

As "the media guy" in this brash endeavor, I've begun to understand some harsh realities about publicity. For the first three days of this event, the phones from both local and national media rang off the hook. With the amazing kind of press that we received in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, we seemed set for New York. As we began our trek through the Bronx, however, it quickly became apparent that we had attracted little attention in the Big Apple. Being saturated with the massive logistical tasks involved, we had failed to realize the magnitude of the Anthrax-related incidents, particularly since it involved a media company (NBC). However, even though the press gave us what seemed like little coverage (actually, we ended up on at least two national news clips and once local TV station), the people of New York responded famously to our show of respect and support for the ordeal that has so disrupted their lives.

As we entered Manhattan, we were joined by Lt. Mike Dell, a firefighter with the Pleasant Valley Fire Dept. in upstate NY. Mike had heard about the run and had driven down to help-and boy, did we take him up on that! We were also joined by "The Rolling Flags", a group of war veterans who have adorned their pickup trucks in various displays of patriotism and tribute to the military service. We also had a HumVee painted with the Stars and Stripes, plus fire trucks and even a bus for the handicapped provided by the Disabled American Veterans. With NYPD leading the way, we went straight down Broadway.

We detoured at 99th St. to visit the Fireman's Memorial, where Capt. Dan Carey and Mike Burr led us in prayer. We honored our lost heroes in the Fire Department by having each runner lay a rose on the steps in front. The sorrow in my heart, as I thought about all of the rescue workers killed in the Twin Towers, would be magnified ten-fold once we got to Ground Zero.

At some point north of 99th St., we were joined by Firefighter Mike Ambuiso. IN FULL FIRE GEAR, Mike ran in full firefighter gear for nearly six miles-all the way to Ground Zero-to whistling, cheering? crowds. Mike was able to convince our escort, Officer Ferrera, to allow us all (all runners) to go to Ground Zero, which included a firefighter, police officer, airline pilot and EMT in full uniform. Officer Ferrera was our savior in New York, he got many thanks.

While the rest of the Team took alternate routes over to New Jersey, Mike Burr went through the Holland Tunnel with the flag. What would he find when he came out?

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