数百人爬楼梯纪念911英雄

Individuals carrying flags up on the steps of Kenan stadium. — 参加后备役军官训练军团的学生, 当地消防队员, 警察, 博彩平台大学学生运动员和当地社区成员攀登2,凯南纪念体育场076级台阶. (图片来源:Jon Gardiner/博彩平台)

詹姆斯·卡尔法记得九月. 11, 2001.

The master sergeant with Carolina’s Army ROTC was a high school junior and staying in lower Manhattan with family for his brother’s cancer treatment that day. When they heard news about planes hitting the World Trade Center towers 30 blocks away, they rushed to the roof of a family member’s apartment building to see what they could of the smoke, 混乱和救援工作.

卡尔法在1点左右加入,500 people in the 10th annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Kenan Stadium Wednesday. Carolina’s Army ROTC sponsored the event, which began at 6 a.m. and commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“这次活动将社区团结在一起, 包括很多当时还没有出生的学生, 它帮助每个人记住这场悲剧,卡尔法说.

That day, members of extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes. They flew two of the planes into the towers, collapsing them. 另一架飞机撞上了弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿的五角大楼. The fourth plane, Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control.

在开始攀登之前，陆军中将. Col. Lisa Klekowski of UNC Army ROTC and chair of the military science department in the 文理学院 welcomed participants. “This is a meaningful event for the community to come together and reflect on the lives of all who were lost on September 11, 2001. We remember the first responders who possessed the qualities of service, loyalty and duty. They answered the call when America needed them most,” she said.

然后，李显龙总理. 罗伯茨介绍了消防员约翰·多布里. Dobrie, 当了25年的消防员, 是莫里奇中心第一引擎公司的前机长, 纽约, 911时他在哪里服役. He also volunteered at Squad 1 firehouse, Redhook, Brooklyn. In addition to being a firefighter, he works as a cardiology nurse.

Dobrie said it was a difficult day for him and others in his company. He enumerated the devastating loss of lives – those in the planes and towers, 消防队员, 警察和急救医疗人员. “Every one of those deaths has a human story attached to it,” he said. He mentioned the hundreds of people who helped others that day, and urged the audience to live in ways that positively influence people they encounter.

一个男人, 约翰Dobrie, speaking to a crowd at a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb event at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan Memorial Stadium.

约翰·多布里(乔恩·加德纳/博彩平台)

多布里说话之后, Army cadet and senior Jacob Ratashak sang the national anthem, then participants received instructions before beginning the climb.

“This is a time to remember the sacrifices of those on the front lines and it integrates with our culture of sacrifice and selfless service,拉塔沙克说.

登山者们做好了准备,071 stadium stairs representing the 110 floors in the World Trade Center tower, 向2致敬,977人死亡, 包括6名卡罗莱纳校友. 超过400名受害者是现场急救人员.

汽笛响起，高亢的音乐响起. Climbers began their ascent with Army ROTC cadets wearing 35-pound backpacks leading them. They popped up and down the aisles in columns like hundreds of pistons. 迷彩迷彩服与卡罗莱纳蓝色海军后备军官训练队衬衫混在一起, yellow firefighter helmets and white shirts of varsity athletic teams. 美国国旗, 后备军官训练队和空降部队, 消防部门——在登山者抬着他们的时候上下浮动.

在体育馆明亮的灯光下, participants exchanged sweaty high fives and encouraged each other. Climbers included cadets and officers from Carolina’s Army, 海军, Marine and Space Force ROTC units and from Duke University, 还有卡罗莱纳的学生运动员, 当地健身团体, 兄弟会成员和带孩子的父母. First responders from the fire departments of Chapel Hill and South 橙色 Rescue and Alamance, 富兰克林, 橙色, 李县已经准备好了. Many 消防队员 climbed in full bunker gear with thick coats, pants, boots and helmets. 有些人背着氧气罐.