They marched in red, with pictures of their loved ones around their necks or attached to the

backs of their parkas.

They marched alongside their friends and neighbors and a U.S. senator and members of

Congress, past complete strangers who waved signs and said prayers in their honor.

And after marching 10 miles on a frigid February day from the site of the plane crash in

Clarence Center a year ago to the airport where the plane was supposed to land, the leaders of the

Families of Continental Flight 3407 vowed to continue their fight for aviation safety —

through their continued presence in Washington, D.C.

"The truth is: Our loved ones are gone," said John Kausner of Clarence, who lost his

daughter, Ellyce, in the crash, and who organized Friday's trek.

Pointing to the family members who have traveled to Washington at least 15 times to lobby

for airline safety legislation, Kausner said to an unexpectedly huge crowd: "They're fighting

for your loved ones. They're fighting for the people in the future who might have a pilot

who's not so qualified."

Video: Watch scenes from the beginning and end of the walk at BuffaloNews.com Live

Gallery: Photos from Friday's walk and news conference

Kausner's combination of mourning and motivation proved to be the theme of the families'

"Walk to Complete the Journey," held on the first anniversary of the crash that claimed 50

lives.

What started as a walk for two heartbroken fathers — Kausner and Scott Maurer, who

lost his daughter, Lorin — grew into an unprecedented outpouring of moral support.

"The beauty of the community is its people," said Rep. Chris Lee, R-Clarence, who walked

more than a third of the route. "It truly makes you realize why so many people want to live in

this community, with the kind of turnout we have here today."

Maurer estimated upwards of 800 people joined the march, and that may have been a

conservative estimate. The line of parka-clad people stretched at times for a half a mile.

"It's amazing," said Eva Friedner of Milford, Mass., who marched in the white tennis shoes

of her late sister, Susan Wehle of Amherst. "It's exhilarating. It's wonderful that the

Buffalo community has come together like this."

For the families, the march resonated in ways both personal and political.

"Tonight at 10:17 it will be the 365th time I've had that countdown, that countdown to the

final seconds of my daughter's life, and the lives of everyone else who was on that plane,"

Maurer said. "It's a pain that I don't want anyone standing out here today ever to feel. It's

a huge motivation for me. It's the reason we go back to Washington time and again."

About 150 of the marchers were close relatives or friends of those who were lost, and some

freely acknowledged the pain they're still feeling.

Surinder Sidhu of Houston flew to Buffalo after visiting family in Las Vegas to pay tribute

to his son, Dipinder Sidhu.

None of his son's remains were found, and that fact haunts his father. "It's so hard for us

to have closure now," he said.

Many others said they wouldn't rest until the Federal Aviation Administration adopts

changes to make the skies safer.

"We're hoping people will push the FAA to make the necessary changes," said Ping Wang, a

researcher at Roswell Park Cancer Institute who lost her husband, Zhaofang Guo.

Jeffrey Skiles, the co-pilot of the US Airways jet that made an emergency landing on the

Hudson River last year, marched alongside the families through the entire five-hour trek, for

the same reason.

"I'm here to support the families and to support this issue," Skiles said. "We're all doing

this to make some changes, to make sure this sort of tragedy is never visited upon another

community and other families."

BuffaloNews.com Live audio: Jeffrey Skiles

Get more audio and video from Friday at BuffaloNews.com Live

No matter what happens in Washington, there's no doubt that the march resonated in Buffalo

and its suburbs.

As the marchers walked through a light snow and against a brisk breeze, the local community

turned the route into a corridor of tribute.

Countless businesses posted signs along the route in memory of the crash victims, and all

along the way, local residents stepped out of their homes and workers stepped out of their

offices to wave at the marchers.

At Nativity of Mary School in Clarence, 200 students from Pre-K through eighth grade stood

outside, handing roses to family members and slapping high fives with those walking with them.

And along Goodrich Road, Mary Jane Jentz of Lancaster stood alone and said "God bless you"

to every passer-by.

Family members said they were overwhelmed by the community support.

"You hear some people saying, "Let it rest,' but when you see this, you can see that the

community still needs this," said Jennifer Pfentner, who for 35 years was best friends with

Mary Julia Abraham, who died in the crash.

Christine Kukliewicz of Buffalo, who lost her son Brian in the crash, said the turnout

"says a lot about how people feel about aviation safety."

That issue came into sharp relief last week as the National Transportation Safety Board issued its report in the Clarence crash, blaming it primarily on the crew's actions.

Colgan Air, which operated Flight 3407 for Continental, hired the pilot of the flight

without knowing he had a history of flunking flight tests.

And as Flight 3407 approached Buffalo for landing, the pilot, Marvin Renslow, let the plane

get too slow and then mishandled the stall warning. Meanwhile, the co-pilot, Rebecca Shaw,

incorrectly set the plane's speed and put the flaps on the wings in the wrong position.

That history has haunted the Flight 3407 families since the safety board held hearings in

the crash last May.

But almost immediately afterward, the families turned their anger into energy, lobbying

Congress for aviation safety changes.

Quickly they won powerful allies such as Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., who walked the

last mile of the route and later choked up while musing on the families' efforts.

"I am honored and humbled to be in the presence of these families and I pledge in every way

to see that their goal" is met, said Schumer, who this week persuaded Senate leadership to bring safety measures to the Senate floor in March.

Meanwhile, Kausner praised Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who intended to attend the

event but who missed it because of a flight delay.

In a meeting with the families, "she said, if you want to see change, don't try to affect

the regulations, try to go for legislation. I want to thank her for putting us in the right

direction," Kausner said.

Gillibrand later said she this week introduced a bill that would enact all the 25 safety

recommendations the safety board issued in connection with the Clarence crash.

She said the families will remain key to getting safety measures passed.

"That's the greatest gift they can give," she said.

Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, agreed, telling the families of the victims: "They would be

proud of you."

Family members acknowledged, though, that their hardest work — actually getting

Congress to act — is yet to come.

"If today was a 10 mile walk, and the last year was at least a thousand miles for us all, I

do have to remind you the next month or two in Washington is going to feel like 10,000 miles,"

said Kevin Kuwik, who was Lorin Maurer's boyfriend and is now a frequent lobbying presence in

Washington. "We can't give up. We can't let up. We need to keep pushing."