I decided I had to find a way to do it... I heard about it through our running club website. Afterall, my alma mater, Syracuse, has suffered through 2 terrorist attacks and lost precious lives. I was in, I was going to run, but where was the place that we were to meet? I got a brief e-mail, then nothing more. Friday night the e-mail gave 2 locations. So, I chose the easiest access point, Plainsboro. It said that runners should get there around 4 so I got there a little early as I thought they might need some help. It was a small group as this was a rather short notice idea... a pilot in Connecticut who thought that it would be nice to remember those lost in flight by making a cross-country relay of runners. It started in Boston at Logan October 10th, the one month anniversary and is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles November 11 for Veterans Day, running 24/7. So, ready to do my meager 3-5 miles, I wanted to show support in remembrance of the ones we lost. Vans were ready to help those who did not want to run the entire distance of our section. By 5 o’clock, the flag was just getting to Menlo Park, very behind schedule.

We were still a small group which kept steady at 15. Our group director kept in constant contact with the Menlo Park director. And I kept wondering how big was the flag? Would I be able to carry it? We had an unusual collection, mostly pilots, a person who was supposed to be in D.C. to run the Army 10 miler, but that was cancelled so he decided to come here, 2 firemen who run Boston and wanted to be a part of the run somewhere, somehow and spent 5 hours driving to get involved with carrying the flag. They said that they have spent countless hours helping in NY and felt determined to carry the flag. All with different drives that led us to this place but with one common reason, we wanted to show the pride we feel in our country combined with the unity we feel as runners.

The anxiety increased when we heard they were about 2 miles away, the escort vehicles arrived along with the Red Cross with some water and food for us after we came back to our start point. Then we saw feet coming in the dark and the silhouette of the Flag... the flag! Emotion was really high for us all because we knew it was now our turn. We felt our coordinator, Paul should start while we followed in 2 vans. He had his father of 71 ( still running 6-7 miles daily) with him. What a great sight! People started cheering and honking their horns, Our time had come, and we all piled out of the vans to join Paul. It was amazing the reaction and unity that people showed. We were running not to win a race but to enjoy the experience, and remember this flag had already made an important trip to Iraq in an F-150 and now was on another important trip. People literally came out of diners and stores as we passed, waved flags and cheered from cars. Images that were incredible became etched in our minds... the policeman in Princeton Junction who gave the flag a military salute as we passed, the silhouette of the waving flag as we came into Trenton on a building.

I got back in the van for a rest but not for long. I felt as others did that I wanted to be out there, out there with the Flag. Our earlier plan to have a relay with only one person running at once was abandoned as we all felt drawn to the experience of being one with this object that we cherish so much. The miles passed but not our energy, we had too much support by people passing by as well as great escorts by the police. We came into Trenton, it was coming to a close... no one wanted it to be over. We arrived into Morrisville, PA, tired and hungry and signed the poster that will continue on to LA. We talked to the photographer that took pictures for a book that he is doing on the disaster and the aftermath of patriotism. I could not believe that I originally was going to try for 5 miles and actually did around 14, and sharing the carrying of the symbol that is etched in all of our hearts. We wished the PA team well, and headed back to New Jersey knowing that we were running for those who were no longer with us and for the future that is so uncertain. This flag that has been to Irag and now is traveling to LA... may it make it there without our country loosing any more lives at the hands of terrorism.

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