As the sun rose over Rice Stadium Friday morning, members of Rice University’s Naval ROTC program and the broader community climbed the stadium stairs to honor the victims and heroes of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The annual stair climb, hosted by the Houston Consortium of Naval ROTC and the Rice Rec Center, was held on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The event brought together ROTC midshipmen, Rice students and community members for a physical challenge intended to commemorate the first responders who climbed the World Trade Center towers that day.
For Capt. Mike Kinter, commanding officer of Rice’s Naval ROTC unit, the event offers an opportunity to reflect on the tragedy while recognizing the hope and service that emerged from it.
“Out of something tragic, to me, it’s a symbol of hope,” Kinter said.
Kinter joined the Navy in 1999 and was attending jet training in Kingsville, Texas, when the attacks occurred. He said the annual stair climb serves as a reminder of the good work done by first responders, police, firefighters and military personnel.
The physical challenge is intended to help participants appreciate the endurance of those who climbed the towers in full gear. Participants walked, jogged and ran up and down the stadium stairs 28 times in total, matching the 2,200 steps it would take to reach the top of the World Trade Center’s 110 stories.
Kinter said participating midshipmen and students have described the experience as “pretty powerful,” even though they are accustomed to physical training.
“It starts to resonate with them that joining the Navy or joining the Marine Corps is something bigger than themselves,” Kinter said. “Service above self, joining a team, teamwork and that type of thing, and it starts with little things like this.”
The event has grown from an ROTC activity into one that welcomes the broader Rice community. This year marked the third annual stair climb, and organizers said students had been asking since the beginning of the semester when it would return.
Austen Kuhn, a midshipman second class and the unit’s physical training officer, helped organize the event and participated in the climb. She said the continued turnout reflects the community’s desire to remember 9/11 together.
“It’s really good to feel, especially as an organizer, that people show up, they come out and people look forward to it,” Kuhn said.
Kuhn was not yet born when the attacks occurred but said hearing her parents’ and grandparents’ stories helps her connect with the emotions of that day. She emphasized the importance of keeping that remembrance alive for younger generations and bringing together people from across the community.
“It wasn’t about what they were feeling; it’s about what the people around them were feeling and how best they could help,” Kuhn said.