Hundreds remember 9/11 heroes at stair climb

Individuals carrying flags up on the steps of Kenan stadium. — ROTC students, local firefighters, police, UNC student athletes and local community members climb 2,076 steps at Kenan Memorial Stadium. (Photo by Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

James Calfa remembers Sept. 11, 2001.

The master sergeant with Carolina’s Army ROTC was a high school junior and staying in lower Manhattan with family for his brother’s cancer treatment that day. When they heard news about planes hitting the World Trade Center towers 30 blocks away, they rushed to the roof of a family member’s apartment building to see what they could of the smoke, chaos and rescue efforts.

Calfa joined around 1,500 people in the 10th annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Kenan Stadium Wednesday. Carolina’s Army ROTC sponsored the event, which began at 6 a.m. and commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“This event brings the community together, including many students who weren’t born at the time, and it helps everyone remember the tragedy,” Calfa said.

That day, members of extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes. They flew two of the planes into the towers, collapsing them. Another plane struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane, Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control.

Before the climb began, Army Lt. Col. Lisa Klekowski of UNC Army ROTC and chair of the military science department in the College of Arts and Sciences welcomed participants. “This is a meaningful event for the community to come together and reflect on the lives of all who were lost on September 11, 2001. We remember the first responders who possessed the qualities of service, loyalty and duty. They answered the call when America needed them most,” she said.

Then, Chancellor Lee H. Roberts introduced firefighter John Dobrie. Dobrie, a firefighter for 25 years, is former captain of Engine Company 1 in Center Moriches, New York, where he was serving on 9/11. He also volunteered at Squad 1 firehouse, Redhook, Brooklyn. In addition to being a firefighter, he works as a cardiology nurse.

Dobrie said it was a difficult day for him and others in his company. He enumerated the devastating loss of lives – those in the planes and towers, firefighters, police officers and emergency medicine providers. “Every one of those deaths has a human story attached to it,” he said. He mentioned the hundreds of people who helped others that day, and urged the audience to live in ways that positively influence people they encounter.

A man, John Dobrie, speaking to a crowd at a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb event at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan Memorial Stadium.

John Dobrie (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

After Dobrie spoke, Army cadet and senior Jacob Ratashak sang the national anthem, then participants received instructions before beginning the climb.

“This is a time to remember the sacrifices of those on the front lines and it integrates with our culture of sacrifice and selfless service,” Ratashak said.

Climbers readied themselves for 2,071 stadium stairs representing the 110 floors in the World Trade Center tower, to honor the 2,977 people killed, including six Carolina alumni. Over 400 of the victims were first responders.

An air horn sounded and high-energy music began. Climbers began their ascent with Army ROTC cadets wearing 35-pound backpacks leading them. They popped up and down the aisles in columns like hundreds of pistons. Camo fatigues mixed in with Carolina blue Navy ROTC shirts, yellow firefighter helmets and white shirts of varsity athletic teams. Flags – of America, ROTC and Airborne units, fire departments – bobbed along as climbers carried them.

Under the stadium’s bright lights, participants exchanged sweaty high fives and encouraged each other. Climbers included cadets and officers from Carolina’s Army, Navy, Marine and Space Force ROTC units and from Duke University, along with Carolina student-athletes, local workout groups, fraternity members and parents with children. First responders from the fire departments of Chapel Hill and South Orange Rescue and Alamance, Franklin, Orange, Lee counties were on hand. Many firefighters climbed in full bunker gear with thick coats, pants, boots and helmets. Some carried air tanks on their backs.