RUN FOR THE WALL Jean and Larry: May 26, 2024 - Sandbox

May 26, 2024 - Sandbox - DC to St. Clairsville, OH

What a beautiful morning. This is my first time on Sandbox. I am looking forward to the new stops and meeting new people.

Heidi, "Blue", is the RC and is ready to go. She brings up Gump. He was a POW for 22 days of pure hell. He had a very hard time until he got with the RFTW family. He said he made it because of the Run. There are 9 of his comrades on the Middle East Conflicts Wall. He knows it will be tough... that is when several people shout from the crowd "We got your back Gump.... We are here for you..."

Catfish (road guard captain) asks Nick (RC for central to do the hand signals. Nick is now a road guard on Sandbox. Remember what I said about people wearing multiple hats. Hahaha

Really some pretty country riding thru Pennsylvania.

American League Post provided lunch.... hot dogs... something different.

Load up and let's head to the Flight 93 Memorial.

This is the line of flight the plane took.

This ranger took 30 minutes to explain exactly what happened. Then RFTW presented him with a flag.

Fun Fact:

This is what the 13 folds mean:

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
The second fold signifies our belief in eternal life.
The third fold is made in honor and tribute of the veteran departing our ranks, and who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace.
The fourth fold exemplifies our weaker nature as citizens trusting in God; it is to Him we turn for His divine guidance.
The fifth fold is an acknowledgement to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealign with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”
The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies.
The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
The ninth fold is an honor to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty, and devotion that the character of men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
The 10th fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first-born.
The 11th fold, in the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The 12th fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
The last fold, when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

We then walk to the panels created for each person on this flight.

Say their name, so they will never be forgotten.

Here is the wall with one name per panel.

The gate is made of Hemlock. It is the most popular tree around and Flight 93 took out a whole section. This is why they decided to make the gate out of it.

The rock out in the field represents where the plane crashed. Family members are allowed to out there anytime they like and only family.

As we roll out, you go past the Tower of Voices.

Fun Fact:

The tower is conceived as a monumental, ninety-three feet tall musical instrument holding forty wind chimes, representing the forty passengers and crew members. It is intended to be a landmark feature near the memorial entrance, visible from US Route 30/Lincoln Highway. The Tower of Voices provides a living memorial in sound to remember the forty through their ongoing voices.

Since Sandbox is pretty new, there are very few people and flags like we see on the other routes. However here is one group of very excited well wishers.