Louisville firefighters honor 9/11 with stair climb, stories of sacrifice

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nearly a quarter century after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Louisville-area firefighters are finding new ways to honor the lives lost and the first responders who never made it home.

On Thursday morning, recruits from Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS marched into Lynn Family Stadium in full uniform carrying the American flag. They then climbed 110 flights of stairs in full gear — the same number New York City firefighters faced inside the World Trade Center.

"In honor of 9/11 this morning, we went to Lynn Family Stadium and we walked 110 flights of stairs in full gear," firefighter trainee Noah Nunez Steele said. "Some people were having a tough time. I was having a tough time. It was definitely one of the hardest things I've ever done, but we all stuck together and encouraged each other, and I think that's exactly what happened on that day, too."

Steele, now 24, was just a baby when the attacks happened.

"I was 6 months old," he said. "What I remember is growing up, being taught and learning how important it is, not only to first responders but to everyday people and the entire country."

Steele said his recruit class even started the morning with a reflection.

"Today's word of the day was sadness, just because of the sacrifice — the ultimate sacrifice — that people gave to help others on this day 24 years ago," he said.

Eric Johnson, executive director of Supporting Heroes and a retired police officer, said the tragedy of 9/11 inspired his organization, which helps the families of fallen first responders.

"Supporting Heroes was partially inspired by the events of 9/11," Johnson said. "I know a few people. I had a couple of friends killed in the Trade Center. I knew a lot of people who went and helped out at Ground Zero in the aftermath."

Johnson said it was the courage of first responders that still resonates.

"I think back to that day, as we saw so many people running away from the towers, we saw first responders rush in — police officers, firefighters, EMS, workers," he said. "Those first responders going toward the towers that day ... they knew they were going into a dangerous environment but yet they went anyway."

Johnson said that sacrifice is exactly why Supporting Heroes exists.

"Those folks are willing to do that, who have made the decision to respond to calls for help and risk their lives," he said. "When they give their lives, their families deserve to be supported, and that's our mission."

For Johnson, 9/11 was not just an attack on individuals but on the nation itself.

"It wasn't just the attack on those individuals," he said. "It was an attack on us as a country, on our society, and we certainly have to remember them. We can't forget what happened — because it can happen again."

Capt. Joseph Burkhardt of Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS also carries a personal connection to 9/11. He had just returned from a national softball tournament in Baltimore where he played against New York City firefighters.

Years later, he visited Ground Zero.

"Even to that day, just walking through was very somber, very quiet ... euphoric," he said. "It hurt. It hurt knowing that, at that time, I didn't know that I had played against two individuals that had perished. However, I did. You know, I felt that pain."

Burkhardt said that tournament has since taken on a deeper meaning.

"That tournament is always around Sept. 11, and we always try to honor those individuals," he said. "It's the right thing to do. That's where they get 'Never Forget.'"

From recruits too young to remember to veterans who still carry the pain, Louisville firefighters said the promise to "Never Forget" is one they intend to keep.

"This should be a day where we remember everybody whose lives were taken," Steele said. "And anything you can do in remembrance of that will go a long way."

Americans mark the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with emotional ceremonies