Photo By Scott Sturkol | Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician Brandon Perron with the Fort McCoy...... read more read more
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Dozens of Soldiers, veterans, workforce members, family members, Wisconsin Challenge Academy cadets, and others lined up in the dark, early morning hours Sept. 11 to pay honor to the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the United States as they participated in the 2024 Fort McCoy 9/11 Memorial Run and Stair Climb.
The 2.975-mile run/1.34-mile walk started and ended in the parking lot of one of the new four-story barracks at Fort McCoy — the tallest buildings on post. The stair climb, which also was meant to resemble the firefighters climbing the stairs of the World Trade Center, also took place inside the barracks building. Nearly every participant also did the stair climb.
Chaplain (Maj.) Carlos Ruiz with the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade gave an opening prayer to start the event after having a moment of silence to remember the victims of the events from 2001.
Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez also gave opening comments about remembering what happened 23 years ago.
“Sept. 11, 2001 — some of you were not even born that day,” Baez said. “So, I’m not sure if your parents or your family members … have given you a recount of what happened. (However) I think this is a day that changed the course of our history, and it left a big mark in our hearts and in our minds.
“It's been years since that tragic morning, yet the memories remain and the vivid pain is still palpable,” Baez said. “The lessons learned continue to shape are collective conscious. We remember nearly 3,000 innocent souls who perished in this attack — the mothers, the fathers, the sons, the daughters, the friends, and the colleagues who were taken far too soon. We remember the first responders, the firefighters, the police officers, the paramedics, the ordinary citizens who faced the unimaginable. The danger that they faced and the extraordinary courage that they displayed rushing into a chaotic situation, often at the cost of their own life.
“On that day, we witnessed the very worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best in the midst of the destruction,” Baez said. “There was unity in the face of terror. There was resilience. We came together as a nation, transcending differences and working shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity. The spirit of America was tested. … We emerged stronger, more united than ever and committed to the ideas of freedom and peace. As we honor the memory of those who were lost, we also reflect on the enduring impact of their lives. It’s a reminder of the fragility and the importance of sharing every moment with the ones we love. It is a call to stand against the hatred and the violence to build bridges of understanding. … But most importantly, today is a day to remember the promise that we made in the aftermath of that day. We promised that we will never forget. … Let us never forget.”
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, history shows. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Penn. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
Adding to the patriotic feel of the event was the presences of firefighters and police officers from the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services (DES). Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician Brandon Perron with the DES Fire Department completed the walk and the stair climb wearing his full firefighter suit along with carrying more than 100 pounds of gear.
Perron described his reasons for putting himself through such a physically demanding effort.
“It’s to honor the 343 firefighters who perished on 9/11 and those who have perished since because of cancer related issues,” Perron said. “But it’s also just in the totality of the circumstances that everybody who has either fought in the wars following and lost their lives or the civilians who lost their lives. Police officers … everybody who was involved with 9/11 … just to honor and respect them for what they’ve gone through and what their families are going through currently.”
Perron did his effort with “full turnout gear.”
“Having a high rise pack with me, and my New York hook was to kind of emulate what those guys were going through that day,” Perron said. “They had to carry everything that they needed for the fire up on the top of the floor or the top of the World Trade Center. So they had to pack everything in — extra bottles for breathing air, the hose that they were gonna use to fight the fire, and any other tools that they thought they may need. So they were packing them on their backs.”
Perron, a native of Sparta, Wis., was in fifth grade when 9/11 happened. And even though he was a young boy, he remembers it well. He said the events of that day were part of what inspired him to become a firefighter.
“I kind of knew at that point that firefighting was something that I wanted to do,” Perron said. “That played a big impact.”
During the run, no winners were declared but everyone finished. Same with the walk. It was all about doing it to honor the memory of the fallen 9/11 victims and safe to say it went well.
As the sun got higher in the sky, many lingered after the event to likely reflect and remember. Up the street, not long after the event, two Fort McCoy police officers then put the U.S. flag stood at half-staff in honor of the day as well on the garrison flagpole in front of Fort McCoy Garrison Headquarters as sunrise began.
Every Patriot Day, by direction of the president of the United States, the flag of the United States of America is displayed at half-staff at the White House and all United States government buildings across the world.
Additionally, a moment of silence is observed to correspond with the attacks, beginning at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Patriot Day is not a federal holiday; schools and businesses remain open in observance of the occasion, although memorial ceremonies for the victims are often held.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2024 18:26 |
| Story ID: | 481021 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 621 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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