This browser does not support the Video element.
Walking across America for 9/11
See how one Mesa woman's incredible journey from Portland to Manhattan brought hope to America after 9/11. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi reports.
MESA, Ariz. - When Elle Deveraux felt helpless thousands of miles away after the Sept. 11 attacks, she decided to do something about it.
What we know:
Originally from Portland, Oregon, and now living in Mesa, Deveraux set out from Portland on New Year’s Day 2002, carrying an American flag and beginning a 4,300-mile journey to New York. The single mother of two called it the "Patriot Line," a 147-day trek meant to bring a grieving nation together.
"Went on for days where I kept telling myself, ‘No, this isn’t real,’ "Deveraux said. "Because it was more than what my mind could accept."
Elle Deveraux walked 4,300 miles across the U.S. after the Sept. 11 attacks, carrying an American flag to unite the nation.
‘Unity and patriotism’
Deveraux said she believed the country needed to heal.
"The two themes were unity and patriotism, and I imagined the whole country, and that came together with a flag and a relay," Deveraux said.
She said she walked through storms and spent nights in fire stations, initially thinking she was walking alone. Instead, people across the country began joining the relay.
"The very first department to put anything on here was actually Salt River, here in Arizona," Deveraux said.
"They were coming out and waiting all this time because they wanted to touch that flag, and they just wanted to be a part of something that was going to New York," Deveraux said. "And that flag is filled with tears, it’s filled with love, and it’s filled with hope because people were showing up and hugging the flag and kissing it."
Arizona K-9 handler recalls 9/11 search and rescue at Ground Zero
Reeny Shannon and her dog Everest spent more than a week searching the Ground Zero rubble. Today, she continues her search and rescue work in Scottsdale.
Big picture view:
As the relay moved east, the crowds grew. Deveraux said thousands of people, and dozens of firefighters and first responders took part.
Deveraux said strangers began sharing their grief, including stories about loved ones lost in the towers.
"The people needed to share their story with someone, and they wanted in line to walk with me all day and tell me their stories," Deveraux said.
The flag eventually made its way across the country, through Washington, D.C., and past the Statue of Liberty before landing in the hands of the New York Fire Department in Manhattan.
From tragedy to celebration: 9/11 survivor reflects on son born on anniversary
Derek Difani survived the World Trade Center attacks and later welcomed a son born on Sept. 11. He shares his story of survival, loss, and finding closure after 25 years.
‘I will never be the same’
Twenty-five years later, Deveraux said the scars of 9/11 remain, but so does the hope she found along the way.
"I will never be the same because of what 9/11 first took from me, and then what 9/11 gave to me after," Deveraux said. "I’ll never be the same person I was before. I was changed on the day of 9/11, and all of these people were such amazing people. I have a part of them in me."
While Deveraux still keeps the flag pole that made its way across the country, she says the flag remains with the New York Fire Department Union.