Record turnout for UNC stadium stair climb 25 years after Sept. 11 attacks

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — A record number of people packed into Kenan Memorial Stadium Friday morning, climbing more than 100 flights of stairs to honor the heroes who ran toward danger on September 11, 2002.

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From firsthand memory to stories told, we all have a connection to the attacks 25 years ago. For UNC Army ROTC cadet Julia Beckman, that connection is personal. Her neighbors were killed on Flight 77.

“The Falkenberg family was a family from my neighborhood in University Park, Maryland. They also were killed. Their two daughters were the two youngest [victims] during the 9/11 attacks. I have a sentimental meaning being out here,” Beckman said. 

The family was honored in Washington, D.C., on Friday morning. Beckman honored them at Kenan Memorial Stadium for the annual 9/11 stair climb.

The attacks killed 2,977 on September 11, roughly the same amount of people who climbed the stands of UNC’s football stadium. The 110 flights they walked were symbolic of the 110 stories in each World Trade Center tower.

“It means a lot to come out here and honor those that fell on that day and still honor the fact that people are still responding to the nation’s call to serve,” UNC Army ROTC Cadet Jessie Baxter said. 

Many of the students participating were born after the defining day, learning about 9/11 in school.

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Baxter’s father, a fellow service member, instilled the importance of day for those who serve.

“I think it plays a big role in how we view service members in our country. Those who fell and those firemen who also have their lives at an extraordinary cost to try to save others,” Beckman said. 

Some first responders made the climb wearing full gear to mimic, in the smallest way, what firefighters experienced going up the Twin Towers stairwells.

“You can tell in their face, based on their demeanor that this is exhausting, it’s physically challenging but they’re going to finish it,” Beckman said. 

The climbers finished for those who went into the towers but never made it out. Their sacrifice is not forgotten among generations past or future.

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