On September 11, Mt. San Jacinto College hosted its first-ever Hero Climb at the HCN Bank Stadium on the Menifee Valley Campus, honoring the courage and sacrifice of first responders during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The Hero Climb brought together more than 2,000 students, community members, and local first responders. Participants climbed 66 stadium steps 25 times—mirroring the climb first responders took at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Representatives from Cal Fire, Menifee Police Department, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy joined the event. “Being here with the students today meant a lot,” shared a local firefighter who participated in the event. “Most of them weren’t even born when 9/11 happened, yet their willingness to climb and honor those sacrifices shows that the memory of that day—and the spirit of service and courage it represents—will never be forgotten.”
Participants received commemorative t-shirts inscribed with “9/11, We Climb to Honor and Remember” along with a challenge coin to mark their achievement. The MSJC Veterans Resource Center enhanced the day’s remembrance by displaying 9/11 artifacts and presenting country and state flags representing those nations and states that lost lives in the attacks.
The Hero Climb served as both a remembrance and a unifying community event, giving attendees a powerful way to reflect on the heroism displayed that day and to honor those who lost their lives.
