Ehredt a U.S. Army veteran is running from coast to coast to honor those who gave their lives in the Iraq War placing an American flag with a yellow ribbon with the name of the lost soldier or Marine at each of the 4,751 miles of his run.

GILEAD — An Army veteran running across the nation and planting flags at each mile along the way to honor fallen soldiers and Marines from the war in Iraq received a hero’s welcome when he arrived on Thursday morning at the Maine-New Hampshire state line.

Mike Ehredt of Driggs, Idaho, was met by Color Guards from American Legion posts 68 in Locke Mills and 801 in Bethel, Oxford County Sheriff’s officers, and motorcyclists with the American Legion Riders and Patriot Guard.

Following a short break, during which Ehredt posed for photographs with the group and then photographed the Maine sign, the entourage escorted Ehredt to his first mile stop in Maine at mile 4,245.

There beside the roadway he placed a small American flag and yellow ribbon with the name of Army Private Jason L. Deibler of Coeburn, Va.

Ehredt then stood and gave a quick silent salute acknowleging the soldier before grabbing his jogging stroller and taking off at a slow jog toward the next mile as the escort resumed its slow pace behind him in the emergency lane.

Ehredt began his tribute run on May 1, 2010 at the Pacific Ocean at Delaura Beach near Astoria, Ore., and will finish the 4,751-mile journey in mid October in Rockland on the Atlantic Ocean.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com