Over and over again, up and down until they had conquered 110 flights of stairs, people came out to Citrus Memorial Hospital to honor the fallen heroes of September 11th.
“All of our fallen brothers in the fire service and law enforcement that gave their lives during this horrific event and this is just a way to give back and show reverence to that particular day," said sheriff Jeff Dawsy.
The 9/11 memorial stair climb started off with a brief service and then the march up the stairs. Some of the firefighters wore full gear up.
They climbed the same numbers of flights as the twin towers had in New York.
It wasn’t just firefighters and law enforcement climbing, everyday citizens, including a group of teachers took part in the march.
“Just thinking about the sacrifice that those men and women made that day and the effect that it had on the men and women of NY and the people in our country,” said teacher Lynne Howard.
Outside, a former Port Authority officer who worked at the World Trade Center, Andrew Tarpey, set up a display of 9/11 items. He was retired at the time of the attack, but he lost many friends that day.
“For the first time in two years, it was almost impossible to even talk about it. I had so many friends up there at the time. I lost 37 friends, co-workers from the port authority police, many that were personal friends," said Tarpey.
Those lost friends include George Howard. President Bush held up Howard’s badge shortly after the attack and said he would always carry it. Tarpey was Howard’s neighbor.
“He asked me...do you think I could get on at the port authority police and I said yeah...I’ll put in a good word for you. I kind of feel guilty about it," said Tarpey.
It's events like this that help to heal the pain of the past and to show respect to those who climbed up as the towers fell down.