Mostly clear this evening followed by increasing clouds and a few showers after midnight. Low 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Mostly clear this evening followed by increasing clouds and a few showers after midnight. Low 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.

Reuben Zarate climbs the bleachers at Sandcrab Stadium along with grandson Luke Nguyen during an event to honor 9/11 first responders on Sept. 11 in Port Lavaca. (CJ Vetter/Wave photo)

Reuben Zarate climbs the bleachers at Sandcrab Stadium along with grandson Luke Nguyen during an event to honor 9/11 first responders on Sept. 11 in Port Lavaca. (CJ Vetter/Wave photo)

During the 9/11 tragedy, 343 firefighters gave their lives to save others. These firefighters braved the dangers of a collapsing skyscraper, made their way through an inferno, and made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of others. When a disaster occurred, they turned to face it, and in honor of them, local fire departments paid tribute by recreating their climb up the twin towers.

For the second year in a row, representatives from Port Lavaca Fire Department, Seadrift DOW Fire Department, Point Comfort volunteer Fire Department, and Formosa Plant Fire Operations all gathered early Sunday morning at Sandcrab Stadium. In the cool early-day air, they hoisted the American flag solemnly into the sky with a lift from a fire truck before climbing up the stadium steps and down 28 times.

“There are bigger cities and bigger departments that hold these 9/11 stair climbs, but this gives something more accessible to the departments and public,” Port Lavaca Fire Department Lieutenant Gary Kemper said.

This wasn’t a random number, as the 28 times the firefighters climbed up and down the stadium was the equivalent of the 110 flights of stairs traversed by the New York City Fire Department first responders on the day of the crisis. While this was only a small fraction of the hardships endured by those heroes, the perspective brought about by the experience gave those in attendance an even deeper appreciation of those first responders’ valor and resolve.

“Last year, I thought about doing this since no one was doing it around here. I went to College Station and saw them doing it there. I was like, we should this here in Port Lavaca,” Firefighter Sean Dabbs said.

From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., firefighters climbed up and down the stadium, traversing the steel and concrete structure in quiet reverence. A few firefighters even wore full body gear, including their air supply and fire-resistant suit, while others climbed in t-shirts. Some even had their families participate in the climb, with children as young as two years old climbing with their parents for a few steps.

“Going up and down the stairs at first doesn’t seem like it’s hard. But progressively, it gets harder and harder, and halfway through, you really want to quit,” Firefighter Joshua Grissom said. “But you realize that [the first responders] didn’t have that choice. Trying to imagine finishing this, and then realizing that they were now where they actually had to do their job, it really put it in perspective.”

When the time came for the climb to end, many firefighters chose to continue for more, to honor the lives lost. One man, Colton Williams, climbed the steps nearly 50 times, all the while in full firefighter outfit. Dina Smith, his mother-in-law, was there supporting him.

“My son-in-law, Colton, is still climbing stairs. He said those firefighters on the day of 9/11 didn’t climb just once; they had to climb multiple times with horrible hardships,” Smith said. “We go along our daily lives and forget about it, but the families of those people who died that day will never forget, and the whole nation shouldn’t forget either.”

As the day of remembrance ended and the volunteers returned home, many hoped that the display would help people hold in their minds the actions and sacrifices made by those patriots almost 20 years ago. With plans to reconvene next year, these men and women continue to keep the memory of their fellow first responders alive.

“To be quite honest, I feel like there’s been a watering down of the whole incident. We’ve got people just now coming into the fire service who were barely even alive when it happened. The service was a lot deeper, and there was a lot more participation,” Kemper said. “Nonetheless, you have to give props to the people who came here today and who’ve made that commitment.”

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