Tender moment with Olympic torch
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WASHINGTON D.C. — Liz Howell — a Church member selected to carry the Olympic flame in honor of her husband, Brady, who was killed at the Pentagon Sept. 11 — on Dec. 22 ran possibly the single most prestigious stretch of the torch relay besides those upcoming at the Games' opening ceremonies in Salt Lake City.
She jogged up the White House South Lawn track and handed the torch off to President Bush, who embraced and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Her participation in the torch relay represents the strength shown by so many families after Sept. 11," President Bush said at the ceremony, where all runners who had carried the torch in the Washington area were invited to help celebrate the Olympics.
President Bush, wearing a cowboy hat, used Sister Howell's torch to ignite a flaming cauldron while he spoke. He later lighted the torch of a Sept. 11 rescue worker, Eric Jones, who worked both at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Mr. Jones continued the relay on its way toward Baltimore and Philadelphia.
President Bush praised Sister Howell for sacrifices made for America.
"Liz Howell lost her husband, Brady, in the attack on the Pentagon. Brady was fulfilling a lifelong dream by serving his country at the Pentagon. Liz left her native Utah to help Brady live that dream," President Bush said. "Liz, our nation prays with you during this holiday season. We pray for peace and comfort for you and your family."
Brady Howell, 26, a Sugar City, Idaho, native and a returned missionary from the Spain Las Palmas Mission, was an intern for the chief of naval intelligence at the Pentagon when terrorists smashed a hijacked jet into it. He and his wife were members of the Crystal City Ward, Mount Vernon Virginia Stake.
"He was my hero," Liz Howell said.
"He was the all-American guy. He was an Eagle Scout, a valedictorian, a returned missionary and he had a master's degree with honors," Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, said after the ceremony. Liz Howell works as an aide on the House Resources Committee that Hansen chairs.
After the ceremony, she showed President Bush the locket she wore around her neck on her short torch run — and opened it to display the picture of her late husband inside.
President Bush looked long into her eyes, then gave her another embrace and kiss on the cheek.
Sister Howell said earlier in the week she was especially looking forward to the torch relay — without then knowing she would be at the White House — because her husband had been a runner and had always dreamed of running a marathon. She ended up running on the exclusive South Lawn track that presidents use for jogging and exercise.
President Bush also honored Utah and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for work on the Olympics.
"I'm really proud of the work you've done," he said. "You've brought a lot of honor to America. And for that, Americans are grateful." President Bush also honored Sept. 11 rescue workers by focusing on Mr. Jones. He was a university student — and a trained emergency medical technician — who happened to be driving near the Pentagon when it was attacked.
President Bush said, "On behalf of all Americans, I thank these two torch bearers for their courage and for their compassion, for representing the best of our great county."
