Members of the Tucson Fire Department begin their first of three climbs up the stairs of Tucson Arena at the 9/11 “Never Forgotten” Tower Challenge. (Photo by Thomas Forbes/Cronkite News)
Tucson Police community service officer Mohamed, left, and officer Bryan Guinee, the first two to complete the climb, ring the bell to honor fallen 9/11 first responders. (Photo by Thomas Forbes/Cronkite News)
Participants of the 9/11 “Never Forgotten” Tower Challenge gather in formation before starting their climb at Tucson Arena. (Photo by Thomas Forbes/Cronkite News)
TUCSON – First responders, military servicemen and citizens of Tucson lined up bright and early last Wednesday for the 9/11 “Never Forgotten” Tower Challenge at the Tucson Arena at the Tucson Convention Center to honor the men and women who lost their lives on Sept. 11 and during the years of military conflict that followed.
The challenge was no easy feat. Participants climbed up and down the stairs at the stadium approximately three times, the equivalent of taking all 2,071 stairs – 110 floors – in each of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center.
A photo of a fallen first responder or military member was placed on the edge of each row and energetic music filled the arena to motivate participants as they made their climb. Many people wore body armor and some firefighters donned their full turnout gear, including oxygen tanks and respirator masks.
Community service officers Awes Mohamed and Bryan Guinee of the Tucson Police Department finished first and rang the bell to commemorate the fallen first responders on 9/11.
“On that day, the first responders didn’t have a choice,” Guinee said. “They had to run it in full gear, so every year I do it in full gear. This is my ninth year in a row.”
Among the crowd were both young and old, sharing the same space and climbing the same steps in together.
Chief Master Sgt. Michael Becker, the command chief for the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, attended the event for the first time this year and said he liked seeing “this many people ready to pay tribute” by participating in the challenge.
Photos and names of 9/11 victims line the staircases, offering a reminder to participants as they complete the 9/11 “Never Forgotten” Tower Challenge. (Photo by Thomas Forbes/Cronkite News)
Events like the 9/11 Tower Challenge give young service members who were born after the attacks an idea about how the attacks brought Americans together and reiterates the importance of their role in maintaining the security and freedom of the country.
“I have new airmen every day who only read about this in history books, seen movies or TV shows about it,” Becker said. “It’s incredibly important that we remember the attack and the loss of the feeling of safety and security in the United States, and the overwhelming national togetherness that resulted.”
Ben Buehler-Garcia, vice president of the Tower Challenge Foundation, echoed the importance of ensuring that the organization maintains its mission of educating future generations about 9/11.
“The more time that passes since the 2001 attacks, the more important it becomes for our organization to remind people of the horrors of that day and the bravery exhibited by those first responders,” Garcia said.
Tucson Fire Department Chief Chuck Ryan was at the challenge and reflected on how members of his staff, some of whom were born after the fact, continue to remember the work and sacrifice of everyone involved on 9/11.
“This event shows that the community remembers the sacrifice of those who fell on September 11th and the weeks, months and years afterward,” Ryan said. “It fills me with hope and inspiration to see people out here still walking, still climbing and still remembering.”