PeaceHq

SOAW Run - 2004
Arrival

Arrival
Arrival - November 18th, 2004

   The 2004 SOA Run ( or as we came to refer to it "the mad dash for southwest Georgia") began for me at around 7:30 thursday evening. I was awaiting Jim Toren and the running group coming to pick me up for the all night drive to southeast Alabama, where we would meet up with the Atlanta peace walkers at an intentional community called "The Vine and Figtree". Jim's dad John, who had been driving road support for the Walk For World Peace - 2004, would joins us there for our 2 day run. This type of run, a weekend event 12 hours drive from home, is an exhausting, whirlwind process sure to test the mettle of our group. We were scheduled to arrive at the Vine and Figtree just before dawn and crash out for a couple of hours sleep before starting our run friday morning. Our caravan south consisted of Jim's van containing: Jim, Larry Crane, Meagan Kresge, and Clark Filio; followed by Jon Blickenstaffs van containing: Jon, Mark Porter-Webb, and Devin Elgert. All in this group were vets of at least one road event except for Clark, who had come to get a ride to the SOA Protest at Fort Bennings front gate on the 20th & 21st. Young Clark was unaware as yet as to what kind of road warriors he had inadvertently caught a ride with, and what adventure he had embarked upon. Our spirits were high as we zipped down I - 75 with a good experienced group of runners, a far cry from last year when Jim and Jon were the only two headed south. We tagteamed the driving through the night as we headed for Linett, Alabama, right on the Georgia border, and reached our destination with only a few souls awake in the predawn darkness of friday morning. It was decided to bed down quickly, sans tents, for a few hours precious sleep before heading for Cordele, Georgia to begin our run at the Crisp county jail where many prisoners of conscience had been incarcerated for their civil disobedience at the SOA gates. We chose this starting location in honor of one of our fellow Peacemakers, , Patrick Liteky, who had server a 6 month sentence for crossing the line at the SOA Watch in 2000.

TIL THE AM!
Participants

Clark Filio
Devin Elgert
Jim Toren
John Toren
Jon Blickenstaff
Larry Crane
Mark Porter-Webb
Mary "T"
Meagen Kresge


Day 1

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