Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Lowcountry ceremonies stretch from Mount Pleasant to Summerville on Friday, pairing stair climbs at two Charleston-area stadiums with wreaths, bell tolls and moments of silence.
At Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, the historic aircraft carrier USS Yorktown sounds its horn six times through the morning — at 8:46, 9:03, 9:37, 9:59, 10:03 and 10:28 a.m. — marking each of the moments the World Trade Center towers were struck and fell, the Pentagon was hit and Flight 93 came down near Shanksville, Pa. Photographs of fallen New York City firefighters are displayed in the ship’s escalator stairwell for the day, and first responders are admitted free.
On Daniel Island, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston opens its annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Credit One Stadium from 8 to 11 a.m. Climbers cover 110 stories — the height of the fallen towers — to honor the 412 first responders who died on Sept. 11, 2001. The Lowcountry Chief Petty Officer Association and the Sector Charleston and Base Charleston morale committees sponsor the event.
A second stair climb runs at the North Charleston Coliseum, where the Charleston Memorial Stair Climb follows the same 110-flight distance beginning at 8:46 a.m. — the moment the first tower was struck. Organizers count the flights up and down and remain until every climber finishes. The climb honors 343 firefighters, 60 law enforcement officers, eight EMTs and one New York Fire Patrol member among the 412 first responders lost that day, alongside local first responders killed in the line of duty since.
Community observances continue through the day. In North Charleston, City Hall at 2500 City Hall Lane holds a public remembrance at 11 a.m. In Summerville, the Msgr. Richard C. Madden Knights of Columbus Assembly 1900 gathers at 11 a.m. at John McKissick Field at Memorial Stadium, 835 S. Main St., for prayer, testimonials, bell tolls and songs. Earlier that morning, at 8:30 a.m. at Ashley River Park, 200 Renken Road, Summerville, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, Fire Rescue and EMS host a ceremony where Master Deputy Moses Cruz — a former NYPD sergeant — shares a firsthand account of the day.
Evening brings a different kind of tribute: Steps of Honor, a community memorial workout at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium, 68 Hagood Ave., with 5:30 p.m. sign-in and a 6 to 7:30 p.m. workout that raises money for first responder and military charities. On Thursday evening, The Citadel’s NYPD 10-13 Club chapter, First Responders Club and Fine Arts department laid a wreath at the campus’s World Trade Center memorial at Capers Hall, 1 Lee Ave., accompanied by the Regimental Band & Pipes.
Ladson’s Exchange Park at 9850 Highway 78 hosts a daylong Veterans Experience Action Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., where veterans and family members can file VA disability and pension claims, sit for Compensation and Pension exams, enroll in VA health care and access cemetery and readiness benefits. The event is organized by the American Legion Department of South Carolina, the Exchange Club of Charleston and the Coastal Carolina Job Fair in partnership with the state and federal Veterans Affairs offices.
