Joining national efforts to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Troy University will host a series of events beginning Sept. 10 meant to remember those affected and to honor the courage and sacrifice of America’s first responders.
Held at 7 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy University Air Force ROTC will host its annual 9/11 Stair Climb, bringing together cadets, university members, first responders and community supporters.
TROY Air Force ROTC has continued the tradition for several years, with cadets taking the lead in organizing and conducting the event.
“For the cadets, the stair climb is more than a physical challenge,” said Lt. Col. Kedem Alon, Commander of Detachment 017 and Professor of aerospace studies. “It is an opportunity to honor those who came before them and to reflect on the generation that served during the years of conflict that followed 9/11 and the broader War on Terror.
“The cadets hope to bring together a large number of people from Troy University and the surrounding communities to show support for first responders and ensure that the sacrifices of September 11 are not forgotten.”
The number of stairs represents the approximate height of the World Trade Center towers. Participants may climb all of the stairs, some of the stairs or none at all.
“Whether someone climbs every stair, climbs only a portion or remains at the stadium to observe and pay tribute, their presence serves as a meaningful demonstration of support,” Alon said.
Later that day at 11 a.m. in the Trojan Center Ballrooms, a faculty-led panel will highlight direct and indirect involvement around experiences in New York City, the Pentagon and as a college student in Alabama.
The panel will feature Dr. Duane Gunn, Director of Operations at the Leadership Institute, Dr. Stephen Napoli, Leadership Institute Professor of Practice, Stan Blankenship, Professor of Practice and Director of the Sorrell Corporate Partnership Program, and Chanukah Anderson, Director of Technology and Assessment.
Gunn will speak from the perspective of being at the Pentagon during the attacks, while Napoli will speak from the military perspective as an Apache pilot. Blankenship witnessed a tower fall from the roof of a textile mill, and Anderson will give the perspective of being a student at TROY and the uncertainty that followed.
On Sept. 22, the 9:57 Project will recount the story of United Airlines Flight 93 that was crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought back against the hijackers.
“That is the first counterattack by civilians in our country against a terror attack—not our government, not military, just people,” Napoli said.
The 9:57 Project uses firsthand accounts from family members, telephone calls and other recordings from Flight 93 to not only teach about the Sept. 11 attacks, but to also continue the passengers’ legacy and the leadership traits exhibited that day.
In remembrance of the 25th anniversary, Napoli said the goal of these events is to teach upcoming generations about the significance of 9/11 so it is never forgotten.
“It’s remembering the first responders and what they did on scale that had never been done before, the nation’s reaction to being attacked and the patriotic response that followed that students just don’t know about because they haven’t experienced it,” he said. “Sept. 12 was one of the most patriotic days I’d ever seen—in the middle of that crisis, everyone was unified.
“Students just don’t know about those things, and they never will know unless it’s demonstrated by firsthand accounts. They have no frame of reference for it, and every year there’s fewer and fewer students that remember. We have to teach them.”
All events are free and open to the community.
