THOMAS COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — For many, September 11th is a day seared into memory. For younger generations, it is a chapter in history — one a Thomasville community event is working to make sure is never forgotten.
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The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, hosted by Thomasville Fire and Rescue, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the Thomasville YMCA, and the City of Thomasville, drew more than 500 participants Friday to honor the sacrifices made 25 years ago.
Participants walked 110 stories — a distance representing the height of the World Trade Center towers — to honor the first responders who never made it home: 343 firefighters, 63 police officers, and 8 emergency medical personnel.
Tom Everett, CEO of the Thomasville YMCA, said connecting younger participants to the significance of the day is a central goal of the event.
"You think about September 11, 2001, and so many of our young people hadn't been born. They weren't alive to know how it felt that day, to experience kind of what many of us experienced that lived through it 25 years ago. And so, one of the really important aspects of this event is making sure that we can include students to continue the theme of Never Forget," Everett said.
Hunter Walton, a 19-year-old Thomasville resident, is part of the generation Everett described — one that knows September 11th through stories and history rather than lived experience.
"It was interesting how many people were there, or not just there, but that died in the attacks. I believe there's just under 3,000 people that didn't make it out. But also the fact that there was just a big surge of recruitments in the military after. People wanting to take action for their country," Walton said.
Walton said he believes remembering the day remains an obligation for his generation, regardless of whether they were alive to witness it.
"I think it's always, you know, the American duty to remember something that happened, even if it was a while ago. It's still our duty and, you know, just learning about it, keep learning about it," Walton said.
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