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Oregonians march in New York Rep. Cherryl Walker joins nearly one thousand others on 'Flight for Freedom' By DANI DODGE Tears and cheers greeted Oregonians marching in New York's Fifth Columbus Day parade Monday - part of a welcome that has overwhelmed Southern Oregonians on the "Flight for Freedom." "People were cheering and yelling 'Thank You Oregon,'" said state Rep. Cherryl Walker, a Murphy Republican. "Along one block they chanted 'Oregon, Oregon, Oregon.' "It was a tear-jerker." Medford City Councilman Ed Chun said about 700 Oregonians marched in the 40-block parade that was lined with onlookers. "People were out in droves and individuals were just sobbing, men and women both," Chun said. "There was one Italian gentleman in his 70s. He was standing at the side of the road just sobbing. "We went up and gave him a hug and he said 'God Bless.' " A handful of Oregon business and civic leaders got the idea for the "Flight for Freedom" after hearing New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's call for people to come back to the city. They expected 250 to sign up for the trip. Instead there were nearly 1,000. The trip is intended as a way for Oregonians to show their support for New Yorkers following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and to help get America moving again physically, financially and emotionally. Among the "Flight for Freedom" participants are Walker, Chun, and Brad Hicks, the president of the Medford-Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. Reached in New York on their cell phones, Walker and Chun said they visited the ruins of the World Trade Center - nicknamed "ground zero" - Sunday. They were shocked by the enormity and the smell. "The pictures and television images aren't the whole picture," Chun said. "There's the smell of smoke and debris and this odd odor. You know what it is, but you don't want to admit it. "I literally broke down." Walker said she cried when she saw a single steelworker working on a fragment of the remaining structure - a flag was flying above his head. As they were looking on, police backed up the crowd by a block. The police officers said they didn't know why. Later, Walker came upon some officers and asked again. "When they found out I was a state legislator, they said 'You should know we attacked Afghanistan an hour ago'," Walker said. As she walked back to her hotel, Walker saw a small anti-war demonstration in Union Square. "I think it ran out of steam pretty quickly," she said. But the thing that has impressed the Oregonians the most is the friendliness of New Yorkers. Many of the Oregonians are wearing shirts that read "Oregon loves New York." "They come up to you and give you a hug and say 'Thanks for being with us,'" said Walker. "Some have tears in their eyes when they greet you. Some want to share their stories, like where they were." Chun said even the washroom attendant at his hotel thanked him for being there. "He said if we hadn't come, he wouldn't be working," Chun said. "Every restaurant we walk into they say, 'you guys are from Or-E-gone?' They can't say it right, but they greet us with open arms." Hicks, Chun and Walker are heading back to Southern Oregon today. Walker said because of increased security, they have to be at the airport three hours before boarding. But she has no fears about flying. "You go through metal detectors and they search all the carry-ons," Walker said. "The airlines have really improved their security." Although this was Walker's first trip to the Big Apple, it won't be her last. "I will come back," she said. "There's a lot of places I want to see that are closed ... the Statue of Liberty is one." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.