The Joint Assembly For Military-Associated Students organized a 9/11 Stair Climb at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to honor the victims of the attacks on their 24th anniversary. Members of the L.A. Fire Department were in attendance to climb 2,977 steps to honor the lives lost and the families impacted.

The stair climb started at 7:15 a.m. as participants hiked up the Coliseum steps. They started at the bottom of the staircases closest to the field and made their way up the varying heights for 18 flights. Since each flight of stairs, starting from the field to the top of the upper sections, is approximately 170 steps, 18 ascending flights constituted over 3,000 steps, to ensure that participants took at least 2,977 steps.

Colonel Tracy Perry, head of the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps unit on campus, said it was a team effort to secure the Coliseum.

“Last year, the students came to me with a plan to recognize and honor those that have perished in 9/11 to include our first responders and our American citizens,” Perry said. “We did a trial run in the Galen Center last year, and it worked out pretty well.”

The event started with a speech by Ed Marquez, who in 2001 was an active duty United States Air Force fireman stationed in Virginia. Marquez recounted his experience responding to the news that the Pentagon had been struck by a missile.

“[There was] a lot of chaos, lot of stress. It was something that you’re not used to, seeing faces looking confused during that time,” Marquez said. 

Maggie Johnson, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering and captain of the team, said the stair climb was “brutal,” but a personal connection to 9/11 motivated her to attend the event. 

“My dad was in the Pentagon when the plane hit, and one of his really good friends passed away,” Johnson said. “For our team, it’s us trying to do something for the fallen first responders and everyone who perished in the tragedy.”

Sofia Umeda, a freshman majoring in public relations and advertising, and a member of the water polo team, was happy to be there for her captain and said that the anniversary of 9/11 is a day to remember that life is precious and not guaranteed. 

“No one should forget about it. I think today is a reminder that tomorrow’s not promised, and we need to do everything we can do today, to work hard,” Umeda said. “Those people who lost their lives today, they’re all an inspiration to us, and that’s why we want to live every day to the fullest as much as we can.”

Marine Corps Captain Mallory VanderSchans, a marine officer instructor for USC’s Naval ROTC, was personally inspired to enlist in the military after witnessing the events in her freshman year of high school and attended the Stair Climb to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.

“Looking around, all you can see is everybody climbing each and every one of these steps … all the way to the top of the Coliseum,” VanderSchans said. “It’s no easy feat, but they’re all giving it everything they’ve got, and they’re not stopping because it’s not about them, right? It’s about remembering all those souls that we lost that day during that attack.”

A notable participant was LAFD Captain Greg Balandran, who braved the climb wearing his full turnouts, the kevlar-laced fire protection gear standardized among firemen. Balandran participated in the L.A. Marathon, and joined the stair climb to honor the fallen.

“This is one of those things where [you] push yourself … You know you want to be able to do these things when the bell rings. Otherwise, it’s a disservice to the community,” Balandran said. 

Two other firefighters from his engine were also in attendance and climbed the Coliseum steps in their turnouts and with gas tanks strapped to their backs, for an overall added weight of around 100 lbs. 

Perry extended his thanks to all those involved in organizing the event to remember the fallen and to keep this tragic event on the forefront of American’s minds.