Written By: Cadet Captain Nader Afana:
Every year at Detachment 465, we remember the lives lost on September 11th, 2001. The brave first responders who dedicated their lives to saving .others, day in and day out, gave the ultimate sacrifice that day. In order to how our support and remembrance, we do the annual Memorial Stadium Stair-climb Workout. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine cadets and midshipmen all enter Memorial Stadium at 6:00am along with the first responders in the surrounding Lincoln and Omaha areas. Everyone spreads out over the entire stadium and performs a
silent stair climb workout. The goal is to climb 2,071 steps, or about 110 flights of stairs. These numbers are how many stairs and flights were present in the World Trade Center. The first responders fearlessly went up to help everyone inside the WTC get out safely, and never got the chance to come back down. For this, we only count the stairs going up. Some cadets also opted to wear weighted vests, in order to simulate what the firefighters felt having to endure each step up with all of their equipment. Standing at the top of the stadium stairs looking at all of the service men and women taking the time to work silently remembering the lives lost, never forgetting the sacrifices made on that day 21 years ago is one of the greatest experiences to be a part of.
