Early in the morning, on the eleventh of September, Admiral Wilson "Bud" Flagg and his wife, Dee, pulled away from Daybreak Farm, just over the mountain in Clarke County, to drive to Dulles Airport. They were flying to Las Vegas with a friend. Their flight number was 77.

The morning was clear. They crossed the Blue Ridge at Ashby's Gap, drove down to Paris, continuing east on Route 50 to Upperville. The traffic was noticeable now, even so early in the morning, and, as usual, was moving even more slowly by the time they reached Middleburg.

They passed through the village, and no doubt, they saw it all again, without looking at any of it, for what no one knew would be the last time.

They crested the hill at the Chronicle of the Horse. They stopped at the light. Perhaps they glanced at the Red Fox Inn . . . the old Middleburg Bank building across from it . . . maybe they thought how nice it would be to stop for breakfast at the Coach Stop, but couldn't, of course. No time.

The mill and the bridge at Aldie slid past, slowly, but they were always a sign that Gilbert's Corner was near, and that Dulles was not so far now.

The traffic got worse as Route 50 widened before them, but the turn onto Route 28 wasn't far, and there was still plenty of time, an eternity almost, no need to worry.

The site of that new museum was now on their left. Who was it named after? On the right they may have noticed the fountain and eagle at EDS, but probably not. The traffic was heavy now, and one had to be careful.

No matter how often one flies, and no matter how early one starts, there's always a sense of urgency at the airport. Parking. The rush to the gate. Passing through Security. Even in those happier days . . . before.

Bud and Dee live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew them, and may the path of their last journey remind us all of the infinite value of the loved and lost.

" . . . and some there be which have no memorial; who are perished as though they had never been . . . but their name liveth forevermore"
Ecclesiasticus 44