WMU to mark 20 years since 9/11 attacks with silent climb at Waldo Stadium

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A silent climb at Western Michigan University's Waldo Stadium will mark 20 years since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Members of the University and surrounding community are invited to participate and pay tribute to the thousands of lives lost.

"When we forget things, we repeat things. And I think it's very important that people understand what happened to this country on Sept. 11 and the sacrifices our neighbors (in the military and emergency services) have made to ensure we're able to do what we're doing," says Billy Clayton, Army ROTC scholarship and enrollment officer at Western. "We remember because we have to. We owe it to everybody else in this country to remember those hard times and how we pulled ourselves out of that to continue being the wonderful nation we are."

"That day was a defining moment for our generation in America," adds Anthony Helms, interim assistant dean and director of academic advising for Lee Honors College. He and his wife, Sara, plan to participate in the climb—an event that is deeply personal for both of them. Helms was a firefighter and his wife on active duty in the Army in 2001 when the attacks happened.

"So many innocent people died trying to escape the towers on 9/11—folks who had simply gone to work that morning—all while hundreds of firefighters and first responders ran into the burning building to help them escape, 343 of whom never came back out," he says.

Emergency responders climbed 110 floors to the top of the World Trade Center towers as they worked to rescue people before the buildings collapsed. Participants in Western's 9/11 Silent Climb will pay homage to that grueling feat by scaling the stairs inside Waldo Stadium. The event will feature three levels of difficulty:

• Mini climb is 1,113 steps, counting steps both up and down.

• Medium climb is 2,226 steps, counting steps both up and down.

• Full climb is 2,226 steps, counting only steps up.

Entry fees range from $15 to $25 depending on the difficulty level. Proceeds are evenly split  between the WMU Veterans and Dependents Scholarship and the Cuff and Ladder Fund, an organization that raises money and resources for sick, injured and in-need first responders in southwest Michigan.

"The silent climb for us is a unique way to remember the tragic loss but also the bravery that began and continued after 9/11 by supporting the heroes of today through the Cuff and Ladder Fund and WMU Veterans and Dependents Scholarship programs," says Helms, who wore his old firefighting boots to complete the last climb at Waldo Stadium in 2019—an exercise he remembers as both grueling and gratifying.

"(My wife and I) wanted to approach the silent climb as an active meditation where we could push ourselves physically while mentally focusing on the sacrifices of our friends—the former firefighters, EMS and soldiers we both had the privilege to know and serve alongside," he says. "We thought about the small moments with extraordinary people that transformed who we are as individuals, especially moments shared with those no longer with us."

The 2021 9/11 Silent Climb begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, at Waldo Stadium. Participants can join at any time but must be finished with their climb by 10:45 a.m. Visit the event's webpage for more information and to register.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.