9/11 25 years later: Metro Atlanta students not born during attacks honor lives lost

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Cobb County School District hosted a memorial stair climb at Wheeler High School to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Air Force JROTC cadets and Cobb County firefighters scaled more than 2,000 steps together in heavy gear during the event.

The climb was designed to simulate the 110 stories of the World Trade Center towers scaled by emergency responders in 2001. School officials organized the ceremony to help students gain a deeper understanding of the historic significance of Sept. 11.

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Air Force JROTC Head Colonel Ria Shrivastava participated in the climb alongside the Wildcat cadets and firefighters. Shrivastava reflected on the physical toll of scaling the steps while wearing heavy gear in the heat.

“It’s only a portion of what they felt that day,” Shrivastava told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell.

Air Force JROTC Cadet Samuel Harter was not yet born when the attacks occurred 25 years ago. During the climb, Harter focused on the actions of the emergency personnel at the World Trade Center.

“The firefighters who went before us, they had to do the same thing. I was trying to put myself in their shoes,” Harter said.

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Harter also shared family memories of Sept. 11 and the military service that followed.

“My mom she was going to the mall at the time and she heard about what happened on the radio,” Harter said. “My dad was in the Marines. He fought in the war that occurred afterward.”

Cobb County School Board Member John Cristadoro, who serves Post 5, recalled his military service during the attacks.

“I was in the Air Force in the National Guard at the 159th transferred to Fresno the first thoughts were, ‘Are we going to be reactivated and then go to war?’” Cristadoro said.

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