VIDEO: Georgia Southern University Eagle Battalion Army ROTC climbed 2,200 stairs to honor the first responders who lost their lives during the 9/11 attack.
Cadets were up early Wednesday morning in formation to take on the stair climb.
“We did training; we also did physical training (PT) to lean up to this training event," said Master Sergeant Manuel Borquez.
Firefighters and dozens of cadets climbed the stairs, and for one cadet commander, this is his third time participating in the event, and he said it's always a tough experience for him.
“I come from a family of firefighters and a lot of first responders such as EMTs and emergency nurses. So this is always a very emotional time for me,” said Eagle Battalion cadet commander Ben Calvert.
If cadets felt like they couldn’t make it during the stair climb, they wore a picture of a firefighter who lost their life during the tragedy to motivate them.