GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Along Plainfield Avenue in Grand Rapids you may catch Zachary Baker out on a run, carrying the U.S. flag.
"A few years ago, I grabbed the American flag. It's like, 'you know what, I'm going to try running with this' and I just never looked back," said Baker.
He says running is a way to honor and remember those who served his country. He runs with a flag to honor fallen veterans on days such as Memorial Day and Fourth of July, along with remembering the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Just recently, he also ran with the flag to remember Marine Capt. Miguel Nava of Comstock Park who was killed in a helicopter crash.
"Today's the MSU flag," said Baker, taking a pause from his run. He carried the Michigan State University (MSU) flag to remember and honor Alexandria Verner, Arielle Anderson and Brian Fraser, the three students killed during the MSU shooting one year ago.
"I remember coming home from work that night, and I checked Facebook, and people were talking about a shooting on MSU campus, and I was following it the whole night just crying," said Baker. "It hurts when it when it hits so close to home like that."
He said this run was not planned in advance, and that he woke up wanting to remember the three victims the way he knows best.
"I grabbed the flag. I've had the flag for a long time. I found the flagpole, and just started running," he said.
While he never attended MSU, he said he has been a Spartan fan his whole life. He said he hoped that when people saw the green and white fly by, they could pause and be united in remembering.
"Just remembering it one day at a time and just never forgetting what happened," said Baker. He had one more comment before he resumed his run:
"Spartan Strong."
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