CINCINNATI — In the early morning hours, the sound of footsteps against the pavement echoed through Nippert Stadium. Hundreds of people climbed 2,071 stairs in 56 minutes to remember the terror attacks that changed the nation.
The ceremony at the University of Cincinnati was just one of dozens held across the Tri-State, honoring the nearly 3,000 who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
Veteran James Penlon, who went to Ground Zero in October 2001, said it is important to inform future generations about what happened.
“They're lucky they didn't have to experience it,” he said. “Still, to this day, talking about it, everything, it chokes me up.”
Nearly every undergraduate at UC and universities across the country were born after Sept. 11, 2001. It means a growing number of young adults have no personal recollection of what happened that day.
When asked what “Never Forget” means, 15% of Generation Z respondents to a 2022 study said “I don’t know,” compared with only 4% of the Baby Boomer generation.
Less than two dozen states require students to be educated on the terror attacks. Indiana is one of them.
“Everybody has to remember everything so that it never happens again,” Penlon said.
It’s why a growing number of 9/11 remembrance events are as focused on remembering as they are on teaching.
“You have to remember the history, and we need to learn from our history so that we can improve our quality of life and the way we do things,” said Gregory Roberson, UC's Veterans Programs coordinator.
Other events have re-framed the purpose of the day into one of service.
At the Sharonville Convention Center, hundreds of volunteers packed 189,216 meals for local families in need.
Nick Anderson, an engineering manager at Enerlab Process Solutions, said attending is another way to give back alongside his colleagues.
“You can't forget what happened, but you can change the narrative of how people remember it,” he said.
Terry Perdue, executive director of the Shared Harvest Foodbank, said the event is about honoring what happened and channeling it into service for the local community: “Today is an expression of our nation's resilience that when faced with adversity, we are better and stronger together.”
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