Over 100 students honored the fallen heroes of 9/11 by running up and down 2,200 steps at Williams Stadium for Liberty University’s Army ROTC Memorial Run Sept. 11.
With a blanket of fog covering the stadium and white lights illuminating the field, rows of ROTC Army cadets assembled in the concourse. President Dondi Costin welcomed the students and commended them for arriving at 5:30 a.m. to remember the lives lost from the 9/11 attacks.
Next, Costin introduced Lt. Brian Smith, who shared about losing a loved one from the 9/11 attacks. Smith, who had several family members serve in the military, described the importance of reflecting on the immense sacrifices that were made when the Twin Towers fell.
“Each of you in the ROTC are learning about that service … it’s about asking how I can make things better for someone else. That’s the same spirit that carried the people up the stairwells of the Twin Towers,” Smith said.
He said the students must respect and remember the lives of the people who died on that fateful day.
“Every stair you climb today honors the men and women who climbed those towers 24 years ago, not knowing if they were coming back down,” Smith said.
He concluded by encouraging the students to use their positions in the ROTC and in their chosen career fields as ways to serve their communities with the highest level of integrity and humility, and to pay tribute to the brave heroes that sacrificed their lives.
Following Smith’s speech, all the attendees saluted and stood at attention for the National Anthem, before the students were instructed on what they needed to do to complete the stadium run. They assembled into lines and began running up and down each of the staircases at the stadium as music echoed from the loudspeakers.
Weaving in between each row, students encouraged their peers to endure as the run intensified. As each row of students mounted the top of the concourse, they would repeat the run and barrel down for the staircases to come. Students stayed in line with their respective squads and kept going as the sun began to peak out of the clouds.
Costin also kept pace with the students as they fought to keep marching toward each additional staircase. Costin said not only did his world change after 9/11, but so did the rest of the country.
“I was on active duty in the U.S. Air Force in 2001 on 9/11 and my entire life changed,” Costin said. “What I saw at the time was America rallied around the flag, America rallied around our way of life. All partisan divisions went away for a time, and I hope we can get back to that.”
As a retired veteran, he said it was encouraging to see the ROTC Army cadets rally together to honor the fallen, despite many of them not being born at the time of 9/11.
“It was a pleasure to be out here as we commemorate all those who gave their life on 9/11, all those who fought the good fight afterwards, those first responders in that moment, those in recovery actions for the next few weeks,” Costin said. “Many of them paid a heavy price as well in their physical and mental health and so today is a great day that we should never forget.”
Even when the students slowed their pace, they persevered through the physical challenge because students like junior Hailey Reed knew they were running to pay tribute to the lives of those who passed on that day 24 years ago.
“Honestly, it was … a tough day, the whole time I was just thinking about all of those people that lost their lives on 9/11 and everything that happened with Charlie Kirk yesterday … it was a tough day so every step was just with their remembrance in mind,” Reed said.
Even when the running became difficult, Reed said she kept going because her squad was with her, encouraging her every step of the way.
Costin said he was motivated to continue moving forward because of what Hebrews 12:1 states, focusing on “running the race” to give glory to God with each passing step, no matter how hard it was.
Davis is the Editor-in-Chief for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.