I participated in the Americans United Flag across America run at the Very Large Array carrying the flag together with my friend and colleague Raye (see diary entry above).

This was the event I have been waiting for. It made me proud and I felt very honored indeed to run the flag. Since I could hardly wait for my designated running spot to come up at the VLA I also ran with the flag along Tramway in Albuquerque the day before. The patriotic outpouring we experienced was truly amazing. It is very comforting to be part of a community that shares into the American spirit, also a community that I now call home for the last seven years. Never before did I have such a feeling that overcame me during the running - to be part of a nation, the United States of America, that comes together and stands united with resolve and determination. Never before did I experience this love that people can have for their nation.

The events on 9/11 were also an attack on the country where I am coming from (Germany). Carrying the flag meant also something else for me. It is my appreciation for the engagement and braveness that Americans have shown during World War II to free the world from totalitarianism and evil, the presence of American troops in Germany for the defense of the western European countries during the Cold War, and the political and economic support that made possible free people in a free Germany.

I am hopeful Germany is paying back the US with all the support it can give to achieve our common goal: to preserve freedom and fight terrorism.

Klaus Kunze
Albuquerque, New Mexico

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