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New Mexico Home
New Mexico Diary: Pete Del Curto

4 November 2001:

As we proceeded to Magdalena NM on 11-4-01 with five dedicated officers of the Socorro Police Department, the excitement was on.

We felt for the first time since the 911 bombing that we as police officers were helping and being a part of a very special event. We arrived in Magdalena a little early. Three of the officers Lawrence Montano, Shorty Vaiza and Marc Wheeler were race horses full of adrenaline. They ran about a mile east towards Socorro and met the inbound runners. They carried the flag into Magdalena at a rather fast pace. After a short ceremony we all proceeded west to the VLA site about 20 miles west.

We ran in groups of three with Vaiza, Wheeler, and Montano starting their first leg being a two mile up hill stroll. I watched as these officers glowed with pride, excitement and the thrill of participating in this event. After a short while it was my turn to join in. Myself and officer Padilla along with two military Air Force officers ran the next two mile leg. They ran fast and my heart raced to beats not felt in years.

I thought about the firemen and police officers climbing those hundreds of stairs and how their hearts beat to a thunder they'd probably not felt before. We finished our leg and rested. We would continue are switching and flag carrying duties for the next eighteen miles. I remember how warm it was as we ran into the evening, and thinking that it should be cold, up here in the mountains.

As I ran further into the night, my strength seemed to get stronger. At one point I had the opportunity to run with both the American Flag and the New Mexico Flag together arm in arm. The pace would slow, but the flag moved ever foreward towards the California coast. Our group would finish its leg at about 11:30.

We all ran about seven miles under the stars on 11-4-01, knowing that the spirits of those lost on 911 watched over us.

I send this message to all of you thinking of running in the event or volunteering, or contributing in anyway.

Please Do it, the memory will be ever-lasting.

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Updated: 11 October 2002
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