September 12, 2024 - Each year Pieper High School’s JROTC program hosts a somber, but heartwarming event where students and community members participate in a 2,071 stair climb on the campus football bleachers to commemorate the stairs taken by emergency responders of the terrorist attack on 9/11. This event not only brings the community together by sharing respect for their nation’s history and the lives lost that day, but also teaches value and patriotism to students who were not yet born during this tragic period.
“The 9/11 Stair Climb means a lot to me,” says Reagan Turman, a Pieper High School senior. “It’s about climbing the same steps and reliving what the emergency responders went through; to honor the sacrifices they made to save as many lives as they could.”
When asked what Turman does to prepare for the grueling stair climb, she simply responds with nothing. No one on the day of the event was prepared for the climb, so neither should she.
Pieper JROTC students climb Pieper stadium bleachers alongside local first responders. Turman describes the feeling of sharing the experience with men and women in uniform who make similar sacrifices to be surreal.
“It makes me sad, but proud that our nation was able to come together during this crisis,” she explained. “I could never go through what they went through, but I feel like I am honoring them by showing that they will never be forgotten.”
Turman’s experience in the JROTC program has inspired her to continue her path of service by applying for the Coast Guard Academy.
She originally joined JROTC because of the leadership opportunities it provides. The program allowed her to grow from being very shy to developing into a leader who voices her opinions and sets the example for her cadets academically and socially as an executive officer. Turman’s career goals include graduating from the Coast Guard Academy and being assigned to search and rescue. “I want to save lives.”
Thank you Reagan for sharing your Path to Success.
Photo Descriptions
- Pieper High School JROTC Senior Officer Reagan Turman stands for the National Anthem among peers.
- Pieper High School JROTC Senior Officer Reagan Turman climbs stadium bleachers alongside fellow students and first responders.
- Pieper High School JROTC color guard presentation of colors.
- Local first responders arrive on Pieper High School stadium field for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.