Soon after our first break we came to the main gate of the Quantico Marine Base. A county policeman came for the start of our planned vigil and stayed with us the rest of the day, saying he would prevent our being harassed by passing motorists. At the gate, we set up the vigil in front of the statue of Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. MPs arrived but kept their distance, probably because of the police car's presence. There were no incidents; we finished walking two hours later and were driven to Dale City, the men to a house and the women to a motel. Our hosting Catholic sisters were taking no chances with our morals.

With a free afternoon, I went walking to buy some shoes since the used running shoes given me in Richmond didn't fit and were causing blisters. I turned left on the main highway, walked a mile or so without seeing the "nearby" store. Finally meeting a jogger, I found I should have turned right. A small mistake when driving a car but a stupid mistake for a walker meaning extra miles for me on my free afternoon.

The only shoes for sale at the discount store were a cheap pair of $l4 running shoes. But they fit, I couldn't know when my next chance would come, and I bought them. Other walkers noticed my new shoes the next day and said they had worn shoes like them once. The first time they got wet they fell apart. Mine held together and I wore them into New York City.

   May 9, Dumfries to Woodbridge
The 9th was like the 8th in one respect alone; it was 11 miles. It was windy, and we were joined by a half dozen people from Dale City. One couple had been on a group walk before

_ It was 14 years ago, a United Farm Workers walk across Texas. We agreed that the South had changed since then. There had been violence directed against the UFW walkers with beatings and some walkers even shot.

With guest walkers and a short distance, we took a long break and walked slowly. Still we arrived at the Church of the Brethren at l:00 o'clock, earlier than expected by several hours. We used the time.

For all needed to discuss my letter from Pamela. As noted above, when our walk merged with the L.A. walk, the strict Yoshida would be in charge. The walk would take on a more Buddhist character; all L.A. walkers were required to go to evening prayers; disruptive behavior would not be tolerated.

We took turns expressing our feelings and thoughts. Only Bill, Doug, and I believed the content of the letter. Some said that the New Orleans walkers would dominate the character of the merged walk. Sandy and Mercury made up a silly little song about the death of the dragon (Yoshida).

This meeting of the non-Japanese accomplished nothing. It made matters worse by beginning a division between Bill, Doug, and me versus Carole, Mercury, Sandy, and Mary. The monks were aware that we had had a meeting but asked no questions.

That night Bill, Till, Doug, and I were to stay with an elderly couple. Each was nearly 85, but their age was evident only in their profound hearing loss. For supper, they took us out to a restaurant where everyone was nicely dressed. But I didn't feel out of place because my feelings were taken up with the pleasure of observing our hosts, still much in love after some sixty years of marriage, as evidenced by their care for each other's every need, in word and action.

Back in their house, we were looking through family albums with them when their 65-year-old son arrived. He was the chairperson for the Brethren's Peace and Justice committee in Virginia and, totally supportive of our walk, had come to meet us. Before bedtime, they insisted on serving us apple pie a la mode.

In talking, one of our hosts would sometimes repeat an earlier question. The other partner would notice and apologize with embarrassment: "You see, when you get our age your memory is not too good and you forget things."

I thought I would easily remember the couple's names so didn't bother to write them in my notes. Regrettably,...    May l0, Woodbridge to Alexandria
We walked 16 miles. Most of us seem lost in their own thoughts. It was the last full day of the New Orleans walk. We had gotten to know each other well over several months. We knew this closeness would change tomorrow. The walk had been hard but had many warm, light-hearted moments; now we worried, separately.

We held our last vigil at Fort Belvoir. That guard was by far the least confrontive of any at a base where we vigilled. We told this young MP the purpose of our visit. He said simply, "You can't do that," but made no effort to stop us or call other MPs.

I remember little about the day except that traffic was very heavy. We were being hosted by Mt. Vernon Methodist Church in Alexandria. As we turned onto the street toward the church we could see the Capitol building in the distance.

Before supper, Morishita called a meeting to "discuss the DC schedule." But little was known about that schedule; in fact, all we knew about tomorrow was that we were to meet the L.A. walk at noon at the Pentagon. The next three days we would fast in front of the White House, but we knew no details (would we stay all night in front of the White House?) Morishita said he would be glad to give his senior position over to Yoshida: the walk would be more disciplined, more Buddhist. This was proper -- the walk had been started by Buddhist monks and nuns in Tokyo three years ago; now it would end with the same character as it had begun. Most of us agreed. But there were a few disgruntled voices.

Morishita then brought the meeting to its logical end. He expressed his appreciation to each of us, by name, for what we had brought to the walk, ending his remarks with a big smile (one of his many contributions), a bow, and a "Thank you very much." After that, we each took a turn expressing thanks to one another for the unique gifts each had brought. It was as if we were saying goodbye.

At our evening program there were a dozen church members present. For the walkers, its highlight was that Kurimori could give a speech he had, as we all knew, prepared many days ago on Sandy's encouragement and rehearsed over and over in the woods alone and in his room. Twice before he had been ready and hadn't been called on. He did not speak English well and had gotten as much advice on pronunciation as he could. And now the speech lasted only four or five minutes. But we were impressed; we had underestimated Kurimori's abilities.

He had drawn from his personal experiences of the horror of nuclear weapons. He had quotes from Jefferson, Jesus, and Buddha. His pronunciation was almost perfect. When he finished, the walkers gave him a standing ovation. He should have been speaking at our programs all along. Tonight we had gotten to see the real depth of Kurimori. His film and diary had been destroyed by water that afternoon. He and I were the only diarists on our walk.

Afterward I read a newspaper account of the disarmament speech that Reagan gave yesterday. It was his Mother's Day gift. I wondered what questions reporters could ask us about the spsech and what my responses would be. After a while I went to sleep without anxiety for the next day. Like Morishita, I was relieved by the thought of anonymity and was tired of speaking at programs and talking with reporters. go to page 42