On Sept, 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States.
Two of the planes slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane plowed into the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
Thousands of New York firefighters rushed to ground zero and into those burning buildings. Hundreds never made it out, perishing in the line of duty.
Monday marked the 22nd anniversary of that horrendous day, and in observance, members of the Great Bend Fire Department gathered at the Great Bend Housing Authority highrise Monday afternoon. “Donning full fire-fighting bunker gear and air packs, they climbed the equivalent of 110 stories (the height of the tallest World Trade tower) by running up the buildings steps,” said GBED Capt. Kevin Stansfield.
“We gathered here to remember the loss that occurred 22 years ago. It’s so many lives that were lost, so many families that suffered scars they still feel,” Stansfield said in a prayer prior to the climb. “Today I welcome two new members to our department, to our brotherhood, and I challenge them to learn what it means.”
“Let’s do this,” one fireman said as they prepared to start.
Putting this in prospective, the GBFD personnel ran the stairs of the 12-floor structure 10 times.
“Are you OK?” a more seasoned firefighter asked one of the department’s newer members at about the halfway point. After an affirmative replay, the veteran said, “don’t worry, we don’t do this every day.”
There was a loud stomping echoing in the stairwells as the boots plodded along. Equipment clanging against the railings punctuated the huffing and puffing of the climbers.
In the rear view
That fateful day was over two decades ago, a fact not lost on Stansfield who is challenged with keeping this memory alive in the hearts and minds of his younger charges.
“We’re getting to be a young department,” said Stansfield, who coordinated the observance. “A lot of the firefigthers are under 25 and don’t remember it.”
So, in addition to climbing the stairs, he and the older members of the department are going to show videos and educate the young guys on what happened and why it is important to remember it.
“It’s like Pearl Harbor,” he said. “By the time the 1960s, it was over 20 years in the rear-view mirror.”
He wants to prevent this.
“We want them to understand the anger, frustration and hopelessness we felt that day,” Stansfield said. As first responders, they watched as their brave counterparts in New York ran into those buildings, knowing their fates were uncertain.
In fact, 343 of those firefighters who entered never emerged. That number is emblazoned on the back of fire engines today as a lasting memorial to that service.
“That number is meaningful,” he said. “We want them to understand there is a significance to it.”
