More than 60 Slippery Rock University students climbed the bleachers at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium before dawn on Sept. 11, completing 2,200 steps as part of a tribute to the victims and first responders of 9/11.
Hosted by SRU’s U.S. Army ROTC program, the stair climb symbolized the 110-floor ascent of the World Trade Center towers made by first responders during the attacks. Members of the ROTC and women’s basketball team participated in the tribute.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Senior military science instructor MSG Chris Emco spoke to participants about the significance of the climb.
“Today we’re going to run stairs, flights of stairs, in honor and memory of those that lost their lives that day. While you’re running these stairs, keep in mind that there were firefighters that ran over a mile in full gear and up 100-plus flights of stairs to save lives. So, if you’re feeling down, you’re feeling hurt, you’re trying to quit, thinking, ‘hey, this is hard,’ that should be your motivation,” said Emco.
Emco emphasized the importance of remembering 9/11 and recognizing its lasting impact.
“Twenty-five years ago, our lives changed. Some of you weren’t born. Most of you weren’t born, he said. “I was in eighth grade. There are people here that were already in the military when it happened. Our lives as we [knew them], changed. Twenty-five years, and it’s still affecting us.”
ROTC cadet Alex Moymer, a senior safety management major with minors in leadership and adventure fitness from Punxsutawney, Pa., spoke on his experience with the stair climb.
“It was one of those things that was eye-opening, but also humbling. We were doing 110 flights of stairs that the firefighters were doing that day, and we were doing it without the PPE or the fire equipment, like the hoses or the fire axes of what they needed,” said Moymer.
“And it was one of those things we had to push through,” he continued. “Some of us weren’t having a lot of sleep, maybe running off an energy drink or a breakfast sandwich, and understanding that those men and women were doing the same thing. Awe-inspiring and humbling are probably the two big words I would say.”
Moymer highlights the responsibility of remembering the lives affected by the attacks.
“It was another morning for us, but for a lot of people in America, it is a day of mourning,” he said. “We just have to remember that.”
