THOMASVILLE – It’s one of the most harrowing things many Americans have ever witnessed. 23 years ago, the United States was attacked. Four commercial planes were hijacked and two were deliberately crashed into the North and South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Another hit the Pentagon in Virginia. The fourth was grounded thanks to the heroics of its passengers. Many, including first responders, lost their lives as the towers fell.
Beginning at 5 a.m., the Thomasville and Thomas County communities, along with several others, gathered at the Jackets Nest for the annual 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb. Students, athletic teams from around the area, local citizens and firefighters began climbing the steps of the stadium in honor of those who lost their lives.
The memorial began in downtown Thomasville as members of local high school cross country teams ran with firefighters, dressed in full gear, to deliver the American flag to the stadium. After, they all began the climb together as videos of people talking about their experiences during 9-11 played on the Jumbotron.
John Neely, a firefighter with the Moultrie Fire Department, was in eighth grade when he saw the 9-11 attack on television.
“We’re here doing a stair climb to honor everybody who sacrificed on 9-11 because they had to climb all those stairs on the way up to the top, knowing that they probably weren’t coming back down,” said Neely. “The response of first responders, whether it was police or military or fire or EMS. Everybody was getting involved and everybody was sharing in the suffering in the moment and it’s important, especially these days, to try and have times where everybody comes together. Nobody’s asking what your political views are or what kind of person you are. We’re just here sharing in the suffering together.”
Many of the participants, including Neely, wore name tags with the faces and names of those who were killed in the line of duty during 9-11. Neely said that “it really kind of humanizes those sacrifices.”
For Thomasville YMCA CEO Tom Everett, the 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb is about many things. But, most importantly, it’s about honoring those who lost their lives and teaching the youth.
“This is a special event. It’s about patriotism, it’s about remembrance of those that were effected by 9-11, not only those that lost their lives, but family members of those that have been impacted by that tragedy. Then, of course, there’s a wellness component to it too,” Everett said. “So, it’s an opportunity for people to come out and really show their support for our first responders throughout the community and also have an opportunity to get some exercise in. It’s a special event for sure.”
“The theme of this event is ‘Never Forget’, Everett said. “That slogan has special meaning when you think about our youth because these kids weren’t born when that event happened. So, for us as a community to continue to show our younger generation that this was a significant day in our country’s history and talk about why it’s important and also expose them to the positives of being supportive to your community, supporting our local law enforcement and first responders that help us in so many ways day-to-day.”