Mike Burr

Norman, Oklahoma

We dropped off my wife Diane at the Oklahoma City Airport after a long two days in the Dallas area. Her, my children and all of our families have been so supportive and have our eternal gratitude. Sorry the house didn't get painted.

Another great memory was running with one of my personal heroes, Representative J.C. Watts (R-OK). We arrived at the O.U. campus and were immediately impressed with the beauty of the campus. The atmosphere was a bit subdued. I think the shock wave caused by the previous week's loss on the Gridiron was still rumbling through the campus. Football is serious business in Norman, Oklahoma. No wonder J.C. Watts rules the land out here. For those of you non-football fans, J.C. Watts is a former O.U. football MVP quarterback. After a few words by President/Senator/Governor Boren and a worn out speech by some sweaty bum, J.C. Watts addressed his fans. He spoke of the Flagrun and how the Flag had been carried by women, men, and children... all backgrounds, all ethnicity, all walks of life. As he spoke I realized that our mission had been a huge success. We exceeded my expectations by a million-fold.

Frank and I ran side by side with J.C. for several miles. As we ran, the police on cycles began busting J.C.'s chops about his apparent lack of wind. Pretty nervy for a couple of guys on cycles eating doughnuts... only kidding, couldn't resist. I told the boys in blue, "Cut him some slack, he's only used to running 100 yards at a time." J.C. responded, "100 yards, how about 20?" The rest of the run Frank and I discussed everything from the pending Airline Security Bill to our frustration with the national media and their lack of coverage. We learned J.C.'s birthday is November 18th, one week after our finish in L.A. Happy Birthday J.C... How does it feel to be old like us?

Oklahoma City and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building

We looked forward to our Oklahoma City visit since we began planning this event. Frank and I purposely routed north from Dallas so as to include OK City in the run. We knew we would be warmly welcomed and we really didn't want to go straight west through Texas. As Frank and I attempted to rejoin the runners near the Murrah Memorial, we stopped to ask a woman for directions. She held a poster and I assumed she was waiting to watch the Flag. Later as we approached this woman with the Flag, I noticed that she jumped in and joined the runners. This group was very diverse... a boy named Chris in a wheelchair, a double amputee Veteran, the woman we asked for directions. She began to lag behind so dropped back to help her. We cheated a bit and cut the corner, hand in hand. Later, as we toured the memorial, we found the woman's poster resting on one of the memorial chairs. The poster read, "I ran the Flag for..." She had run the flag for LaKesha Richardson Levy, who was killed in the Murrah Building bombing on April 19, 1995. I was floored. This woman was so humble as she paid her tribute to her friend and/or relative... she never mentioned a word.

There was a beautiful ceremony near the stately "survivor" elm tree. We were presented with a quilt made by some students from OSU and several children. They finished it in just 12 days! A mother and her daughter performed a song they had written in memory of the victims of September 11. A group of children sang for the crowd. Next, we received a private tour of the memorial by Dr. Paul Heath, President of the Murrah Building Survivors' Association. This gentleman took several hours to explain the details of the horrible bombing and the origination of the memorial. The coward who bombed the building was in his office just a few days prior to the tragic day.

Afterwards, he was kind enough to direct us to The Cattleman's Restaurant where we found a "Presidential Choice" T-bone named after President George Bush, Sr. Thanks to Dr. Heath and the owners of The Cattleman's for a fantastic meal... delicious and free, what a concept. The next morning, we continued west toward the Texas panhandle. We were joined by AA Captain Bill Lokes. Bill, whom we have dubbed the 'Yankee Peddler', has traveled the route on his tandem cycle, selling tee shirts. The Flag moved west through Cordell, Oklahoma. One third of this town was destroyed by a tornado just weeks prior. These brave, patriotic Americans forgot about their problems and gave Old Glory a warm reception. What a country!

I was fortunate enough to run again in western Oklahoma. The wind was stiff and the views distant. It was a pleasure to run with these great Americans of the heartland. The Oklahoma Team hit the Texas border on schedule as we slept in a quiet town called Shamrock, Texas... in the Irish Inn, of course. Hat's off to Team Oklahoma... Great people who truly understand about God and Country.

Click on the Links Below to Visit Our Sponsors Registered Event Promoters