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Greetings
I went along for the ride so to speak. I had no idea what the Flag Run was all about and got sketchy details until I actually got to New Mexico (my fault for not asking). My friend Larry Wertsch asked my husband and I if we wanted to drive from Park City Utah to the Arizona/New Mexico border to support him in the Flag Run. We went along willingly, bringing running gear, just in case. We drove 10 hours, and arrived in time to get 2 quick hours of rest before starting our "leg." We stationed ourselves in Quemado, New Mexico for the run that lasted through the night to the Arizona border. There was quite a crowd despite the lateness of the hour. I had thought that I would perhaps be one of the chase drivers, but quickly got caught up in the moment. When they asked if I was ready to run, I jumped out of the car and grabbed the U S Flag. It was a moment of "Whew! I'M GETTING TO DO THIS!" I ran for a little while and handed the flag to the next runner and then drove one of the chase vehicles. Quite honestly, there were times during the night that I questioned the impact of it all, since there was no one there to see us, but we stayed through the night anyway.
In the early morning, we showered at our hotel and had breakfast, wondering if we should just get back on the dusty trail headed for home. Just as we finished breakfast, we saw the Flag coming down the street toward us so we decided to stay. I am thrilled that we did because for any of the doubt that I had the night before, it was gone in those next few minutes. The town of Springerville Arizona was thrilled to see the flag pass through and greeted the runners and crew enthusiastically. The crowning moment for me in this whole experience was watching an older couple get out of their car as the flag approached. The woman with few teeth hollered, "THANK YOU for coming to our town." At that instant, I KNEW I was proud to be a part of it....
Jane Pearson Gorrell
American Airlines Flight Attendant
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