Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. For the third year, the University of Georgia is remembering those lost in the attacks by hosting a memorial stair climb in Sanford Stadium Friday morning.
UGA ROTC students and local first responders will climb 120 stairs in Sanford 19 times to honor the 110 stories first responders climbed in the World Trade Center 25 years ago.
Last year, for the second annual stair climb, 150 ROTC cadets were joined by members of the Athens-Clarke County Fire and Police departments, Oconee County Fire Rescue and UGA Police Department. Many of the participants climbed the stairs in their full gear.
Jacob Jones, who is the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department training captain, participated last year.
“This is something that’s almost impossible to explain to someone who has never put on the uniform or carried 80 pounds of gear toward the very place everyone else is running from,” Jones said. “It may sound cliché, but there’s a deep sense of pride in wearing the same gear, carrying the same equipment and feeling even a small part of the physical toll that those who made the ultimate sacrifice experienced.”
This year’s event begins at 5:30 a.m. Friday morning. The stair climb is set to start at 6 a.m. Those looking to attend and participate should enter through Gate 2 at Sanford.
