Before sunrise, hundreds of future military officers gathered at Daytona International Speedway for a physically demanding tribute to the first responders who climbed the stairs of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
The cadets climbed 2,100 steps — representing the roughly 2,100 stairs firefighters and other first responders faced inside the World Trade Center as they raced upward to help those trapped inside.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, the climb gave the cadets a chance to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“It’s important for us to remember those who had fallen, remember our past and honor those who came before us,” said Jo Archbold with Army ROTC.
Remembering Sept. 11
For many of the cadets participating, Sept. 11 is a day they learned about rather than personally experienced.
Lt. Col. Craig Matty said the attacks affected people in different ways, regardless of their age, profession or nationality.
“Sept. 11 affected us all in very different ways,” Matty said. “Regardless of nationality, profession, age, and it’s important for you to share that, because it centers us and reminds us of what life is about.”
The climb was designed to give the cadets a physical sense of the enormous effort first responders made that morning.
Capt. Claudia Morren with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s ROTC program said the event helps demonstrate the scale of what first responders faced.
“It gives the scale and what the first responders really did that day and the amount of effort that went to saving the world,” Morren said.
A difficult climb with a shared purpose
The 2,100-step climb was physically demanding and competitive, but organizers said the experience was ultimately about something bigger than the competition.
Matty described the event as an “immense physical activity” that was strenuous and competitive, while emphasizing the importance of coming together as one joint force.
“At the end of the day we’re all one joint force and it’s important to remember that,” Matty said.
For the cadets, the physical challenge was also a way to honor those who came before them.
Archbold said remembering their sacrifices is important because those sacrifices helped make their own lives possible.
“It’s important to honor those who came before us and honor their sacrifice because we wouldn’t be here without them,” Archbold said.
Morren said the event also helps cadets remain connected to the significance of Sept. 11 and its impact on the United States and its allies.
A tribute worth the effort
By the end of the climb, the physical toll was obvious — cadets were out of breath, their legs were burning, and the effort was difficult.
But the participants said the discomfort was part of the point.
They chose to be there before dawn, climb all 2,100 steps and experience, in a small way, the physical demands faced by the first responders they were there to honor.
For these future military officers, the climb