CARBONDALE, Ill. -- First responders and the community gathered at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on September 11, to commemorate the 9/11 victims and the Global War on Terror.
The 9/11Â Â Tribute took place on Wednesday morning at the Banterra Center Basketball Arena.
The event was hosted by the Air Force ROTC Detachment 205 and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Air Force and Army cadets, along with first responders and the public, attended this event to honor those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks and the .
“We’re all kind of coming together, remembering the tragedy that did happen twenty-three years ago, and remembering that, remembering the people that gave their lives, as well as fire-fighters, and soldiers throughout the whole time in Afghanistan," Michael Targos said.
“I’m very fortunate to not have experienced 9/11 due to my age, and just to be able to kind of pay it forward to those who did have to unfortunately go through that. It’s just an honor," Nile Chotner added.
“I’m only 21. I wasn’t around back then, but y’know it kinda just feels like doing a little something from when I couldn’t do something at the time," Grant Oliver said. "I didn’t expect this many people, this early in the morning especially, so seeing a lot of people out here was pretty cool to see.�
Those who attended the event were challenged to climb 110 flights of stairs which represent the 110 floors in each of the World Trade Center buildings. Additionally, they also had option to walk two miles around the Banterra Center concourse which represents the evacuation distance from Ground Zero to the Brooklyn Bridge.
