Hundreds honor victims of 9/11 during UC memorial stair run
UC students say it's important to acknowledge national tragedy that shaped their lives
University of Cincinnati graduate Patrice Brooks was working third shift on Sept. 11, 2001, so she was asleep when the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.
When she woke up, the world had changed.
“It was very scary, especially being a first responder,” the Cincinnati police officer said. “It changed my outlook about terrorism. Every time you go to an airport or get on an airplane, you don’t know what can happen.”
Brooks was one of hundreds of people who took part Friday in UC’s annual Stair Run to honor the victims and first responders of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and Flight 93, a hijacked commercial jet that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers tried to regain control of the airplane from hijackers.
UC student veterans take part in the annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Run at Nippert Stadium. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
Participants climbed 2,071 steps at Nippert Stadium to match the number of stairs in the World Trade Center, which was destroyed when hijackers flew two commercial airplanes into their twin towers.
UC’s Office of Veterans Programs and Services hosts the annual event to pay tribute to families affected by 9/11 and to raise money for UC’s student veterans.
“I’m a little winded, but it’s for a good cause,” Brooks said.
UC students like Magdalaina Abood and Nora Binkis were not yet born when terrorists hijacked and crashed four airliners, killing 2,977 people that day. But they grew up in a post-9/11 world and said it was important to acknowledge the tragedy.
“We just wanted to reflect on 9/11 and think about all the rescuers who gave their lives,” said Abood, a first-year student in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science.
UC student veterans fire a cannon to start the 9/11 Memorial Stair Run at Nippert Stadium. Hundreds of students, first responders and members of the public took part. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
Terence Harrison, manager of UC’s Office of Veterans Programs and Services and an Iraq War combat veteran, took part in Friday’s stair climb after leading its opening ceremony.
“Sept. 11, 2001, should never be forgotten,” Harrison said. “We would like the region to know that UC will never take their sacrifice lightly.”
About 3% of UC’s student body are veterans or dependents of veterans, including Hayden Mueller, a member of the U.S. Army ROTC and a student in UC’s Lindner College of Business.
“Growing up, we always heard about 9/11. It was always there as a reminder to do what we can to make the world safer,” he said.
Featured imgage at top: UC hosted its eighth-annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Run on Friday at Nippert Stadium. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
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UC Blue Ash student and military veteran April Culbreath plays the drums during closing moments in the eighth-annual 9/11 Memorial Run at Nippert Stadium Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Veterans Programs & Services Office, which organized the event with UC’s Army and Air Force ROTC detachments. Hundreds scaled the stairs, vowing to never to forget the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
UC student veterans climb the steps at Nippert Stadium during UC's annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Run. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
UC students, faculty and staff participated in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Run at Nippert Stadium. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
UC students, including many military veterans, run the stairs at Nippert Stadium during the 9/11 Memorial Stair Run. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
Hundreds of participants took part in UC's eighth-annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Run to honor the victims and first responders of the 2001 terror attacks. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
UC's eighth-annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Run drew hundreds of participants to Nippert Stadium. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
UC students take part in UC's eighth-annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Run on Friday at Nippert Stadium. The goal: to climb the same number of steps, 2,071, as at the World Trade Center. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
UC students, first responders and other members of the public take part in UC's eighth-annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Run on Friday at Nippert Stadium. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II
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