A single American flag left the deck of the USS Intrepid and Ground Zero in New York City on Saturday, the first leg of a 250-mile relay that will move roughly 50 miles a day before reaching Washington, D.C. on September 16. The relay, called One Flag Forward, was organized to mark both the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The route and its finish point were detailed by One Flag Forward, which confirmed the relay concludes at the future site of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial in the nation's capital. Frank A. Tarentino III, Associate Chief of Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration's Northeast Region, joined the relay's New York City launch, according to a post from DEANewYork
, the agency's official account for the region. Tarentino's region covers 12 states and Washington, D.C., per background published by the DEA.
Three nonprofit executives are slated to carry the flag the entire 250 miles hand-to-hand: Lisa Hallett, a Gold Star spouse and CEO of wear blue: run to remember; CSM (Ret.) Lee Yoneyama, the group's COO; and Col. (Ret.) Michael “Sully” Sullivan, Executive Director of Team Red, White & Blue. The relay's day-by-day itinerary and runner lineup were laid out in a newsroom release from the same organization.
Five Days, Five Themes, Five States
The relay is broken into five daily pillars, each carrying its own theme as it passes through Mid-Atlantic communities. Day one, themed “Unity,” runs from New York City to Westfield, New Jersey; day two, “Service,” continues from Westfield to Yardley, Pennsylvania; day three, “Honor,” covers Philadelphia to Wilmington, Delaware; day four, “Sacrifice,” goes from Baltimore to Annapolis, Maryland; and day five, “Legacy,” finishes in Washington, D.C., the same release notes.
Organizers deliberately chose September 12 rather than September 11 to launch the relay. While September 11 marks the day of the attacks, the following day was selected to symbolize the nation's immediate response of unity and shared purpose, the organization's newsroom account explains. The 250-mile distance was also chosen to align with the country's 250th birthday, commemorating an estimated 1.3 million American service members who have died in service throughout U.S. history.
A Joint Campaign With a Seven-Figure Goal
One Flag Forward is a joint campaign between wear blue: run to remember and Team Red, White & Blue, presented by corporate sponsor USAA, with a $1 million fundraising goal split evenly between the two veteran nonprofits. wear blue was founded in 2010 by Hallett after the death of her husband, Army Captain John Hallett, in Afghanistan, establishing community runs to honor fallen service members, according to the organization's own account. Team RWB was also founded in 2010, with a mission to enrich veterans' lives by connecting them to local communities through physical activity, health initiatives, and social events nationwide.
Tarentino's presence at the launch reflects his own background bridging military service and federal law enforcement. He joined the DEA in 1998 after serving as an Airborne Ranger Infantry Captain in the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, according to DEA background materials. Before his current regional leadership post, he deployed to Afghanistan six times over two years with the DEA's Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Team, leading high-risk combat-zone narcotics operations alongside U.S. Special Operations Forces.
As the flag makes its way south through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and into the District over the coming days, the relay's organizers frame each mile as a link between the country's founding and its more recent losses. The full 250-mile journey is expected to conclude Wednesday at the future memorial site in Washington, D.C.
