Community reflects on impact of 9/11
As first responders dressed with heavy coats and oxygen tanks they prepared to climb the stairs of Pepsi Stadium 33 times symbolizing the 101 floors of the World Trade Center while holding the American flag. This was the scene during the 9/11 Memorial Climb.
Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), Recreational Sports in collaboration with Javelina Athletics and NASK MWR sponsored the event, in which 85 members of the community gathered to partake in the memorial.
“I think this event is really important, especially to the Kingsville community, considering there’s a naval base here in town, the military, and the naval base here is part of the community. So us within recreational sports, athletics and Texas A&M University- Kingsville as a whole, are a real contributor and active part of the community. So hopefully there’ll be more events like this in the future,” Marcus Wirth Director of TAMUK Rec Sports said.
Throughout the event people reflected on both where they were and the impact of 9/11 has in the community.
“Oh, in fact, I’m a teacher. I taught that with my kids during social studies and fourth graders, by the way. And we talked about that and I told them I distinctly remember I was at home. It was before I entered college. I was at home watching a TV show and it broke. The news broke and they mentioned what happened. Goosebumps. I called my husband at work, and told him what happened. And as I told my kids, it hurt. I mean, we’re here in South Texas, but thinking about the people that suffered,” Cindy Sanchez TAMUK Masters in Education Alumni class of 2011 said.
This event gathered first responders such as the Kingsville Police Department, Kingsville Fire Department, and members of the Kingsville Border Patrol Station. For some responders, 9/11 is their reason for continuing to serve the country.
“I was 18. As a matter of fact that was my first day out of the Navy, my first day back home as a civilian so that was I guess more of a reason to get back into service and I immediately jumped back into it. I jumped into law enforcement,” Kingsville Police Department’s Capt. Daniel Gonzalez said.
This event and the first responders who serve our nation inspired the young men and women of TAMUK to come out in memorial of a day that although they didn’t live has impacted them.
“Growing up with my father who was in the fire service, it really meant a lot. A lot of firefighters on 9/11 were trapped inside of buildings, where some of the people were rushing in there as the buildings were burning while everybody was trying to run away. I always looked up to my father in that sense because I always thought that he was my hero. He was the person I could look up to, he was always the strongest figure in my life because no matter the situation. He was always willing to go head first into that building and save whoever he could,” Member of the Javelina Battalion ROTC program at TAMUK Quintan Alvarez said.