‘We made a promise’: AU, Augusta remember 9/11 victims

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Monday will mark 22 years since 9/11.

On Saturday morning, the seventh annual Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K was held at Augusta University’s Summerville campus.

The event honored the lives lost and the heroic sacrifices made on that day.

The 5K is named after Stephen Siller, a fallen firefighter who ran three miles to the twin towers, off duty, while carrying 60 pounds of gear after hearing about the first plane crash.

“All communities should have some place that they can count on to come to and remember 911, right, we made a promise. After 911 never forget, right, that we will always remember the heroes and sacrifices, the visceral experience that we all experienced that day,” said John Ryan, former firefighter and organizer of Tunnel to Towers in Augusta.

Most people know exactly where they were when it happened.

“I was living three blocks from the White House during 911. So I felt like I was living in a war zone. There were reports of car bombs at the Capitol, at the White House. I had a car but thought I will never get out of town in my car. So I had my bicycle ready to go. It was just, the city was on high alert. There were machine guns on tripods, for a couple of weeks after 9/11. There were no flights, all you could hear was surveillance jets. It felt like a war zone for many months,” said Michael Siewert, MC for Tunnel to Towers.

So people walked or ran to remember the lives lost, even in full gear.

“Remembrance of our fallen heroes, you know, my heart just goes out to them. And this is one way I can represent,” said Tony Smiley, firefighter at Savannah River Site Fire Department.

This is also a way to teach younger generations about what happened.

“We want to make sure they have an opportunity to understand why it’s so important to remember. Because of course she wasn’t even born then. And so if we don’t take the time and use the tools that the Tunnel to Towers Foundation offers us to educate the next generation on, well, what is this all about? Why is this important for us to remember? And Why is everybody so sad? You know, then that’s bad on us. We got to make sure we do that,” said Ryan.

People who participated in the 5K also received a badge with information about someone who passed on 9/11 giving them an opportunity to learn more about a fallen hero and dedicate their run to them.

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