Flag relay for veterans pays visit on way to Florida

(Update: Comments from participants)

On Sept. 11, 70 relay teams started running, biking and walking from Seattle, on their way to Tampa, Florida. On Friday, they reached Central Oregon.

It’s called the Old Glory Relay. Its mission is to raise awareness and money for veterans across the country.

One of the biggest goals of the relay is to help veterans socialize with the community after returning from service.

On Friday, Team Red, White and Blue ran from Eugene to Bend. NewsChannel 21 was there to greet them in Bend.

For many veterans, including Marine veteran Rosa Macias, this is a special event.

“Having a chance to run with a flag is just very emotional, especially if you’ve done prior service. It’s one of those things that’s just emotional,” she said.

“And people when they see you drive by, they kind of honk the horn, they appreciate you,” Macias added. “So it just brings that whole community together. It’s awesome.”

For others, like Navy veteran Stephanie Phipps, it’s an opportunity to meet new people.

“Once I got out of the Navy, I didn’t really have many friends, because you’re disconnected from the friends beforehand,” Phipps. “And so its just nice to get to know other people who were in the service too. They know what you went through and stuff, so it’s good to be part of a group that you routinely see.”

A single American flag will be carried throughout the journey to represent the veterans and current military troops serving the country.

Their plan is to reach Tampa by Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

On Saturday morning, the team will leave Bend for Klamath Falls at 7 a.m.

You can track the relay by heading to this website: https://oldgloryrelay.org/ogr-live/