Fort McCoy remembers 9/11 25 years later with 2026 Memorial Run and Stair Climb

Nearly 100 people gathered at 6 a.m. Sept. 11 at Fort McCoy to remember the lives lost during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and to honor the generations of Americans who answered the call to serve in the 25 years since that day.

The 2026 running of the 9/11 Memorial Run and Stair Climb brought Soldiers, military retirees, veterans, Fort McCoy employees, and others together on Patriot Day for a morning of remembrance, reflection, and service.

Before participants began the event, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Walter McCall, Fort McCoy Garrison chaplain, offered an invocation focused on the selflessness of those who responded to the attacks and those who served in the conflicts that followed.

“I’m thankful for everyone that came out today,” McCall said. “I was there and so let's make sure we make this a day to honor our fallen on this Patriots Day.”

McCall encouraged participants to use the run and stair climb as an opportunity to remember the firefighters and other emergency responders who rushed toward danger as others fled to safety.

“We ask that as we run, that we run in remembrance of those who got out of their vehicles, the firefighter who got out of the vehicle, who ran … to be able to help and save others as he perished,” McCall said.

The stair climb is particularly symbolic because it recalls the thousands of first responders who climbed the stairs of the World Trade Center towers after the attacks. At Fort McCoy, participants use the physical challenge of the event to remember the determination and sacrifice demonstrated by those responders.

McCall also connected the remembrance to the military service that followed Sept. 11.

“We also want to thank you for also that we honor today in our run today that those of many countless service members that served in the war, in the global war on terrorism,” he said. He said the training and sacrifice of today's military should continue the legacy of those who served following the attacks.

“May our sacrifice, may our training today prepare us, Lord, to keep that legacy to train and win our nation's wars,” McCoy said.

Following the invocation, Col. Sarah Fraticelli, commander of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy, welcomed participants and reflected on the significance of the 25th anniversary.

“Thanks for being here and thanks for gathering as one on the 25th anniversary of September 11th,” Fraticelli said. “It's hard to believe it's been 25 years.”

For those who experienced the attacks as they happened, Fraticelli said the memories remain vivid.

“I know all of us that have those memories will always remember the morning that we found out and where we were,” she said. “And that marks really my generation, the beginning of my service.”

Fraticelli said the anniversary was an opportunity to remember the innocent people who lost their lives in New York City, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Penn., as well as the first responders and service members who placed themselves in harm's way.

“Today we're here to remember the … firefighters, the police, medical workers, and soldiers who rushed into danger without hesitation,” Fraticelli said. “And the generation of service members who really put their lives at risk in the months and years that followed.”

Before participants moved to the starting line, Fraticelli asked everyone to pause and reflect. “Please join me in a moment of silence and reflection to honor the fallen, their families, and all who continue to defend our nation,” she said.

After the moment of silence, Fraticelli encouraged participants to approach the event with purpose.

“Be safe, support one another, and let's run with a purpose this morning,” she said.

A day of remembrance

Sept. 11 is observed nationally as Patriot Day, a day to remember the people killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Nineteen terrorists associated with al-Qaida hijacked four commercial airplanes that morning, history shows. Two struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one struck the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed near Shanksville, Penn., after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the aircraft. The attacks killed 2,977 people.

The attacks generated an immediate response from firefighters, police officers, emergency medical personnel, military personnel, and civilians. Many first responders entered the World Trade Center towers and other affected areas knowing they were moving into extreme danger. Passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 also fought back against the hijackers, ultimately preventing the aircraft from reaching its intended target.

Congress established Patriot Day in December 2001 as a National Day of Remembrance. The law calls for appropriate programs and activities, the American flag to be flown at half-staff and a moment of silence to honor those killed in the attacks.

For the military community, the anniversary also carries a direct connection to the service and sacrifice that followed the attacks. Millions of service members served during the Global War on Terrorism in the years after Sept. 11, with many deploying multiple times and some making the ultimate sacrifice.

That connection was reflected in McCoy's invocation and in the purpose of the 2026 9/11 Memorial Run and Stair Climb.

Twenty-five years after Sept. 11, the event provided Fort McCoy's community an opportunity to remember those who were lost, honor those who responded, recognize the sacrifices of the military generation that followed and ensure the memory of that day continues to be carried forward.

For the nearly 100 participants gathered before sunrise at Fort McCoy, the event was not simply a run or a stair climb.

It was an act of remembrance — and a commitment to never forget.

Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.” The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”

And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online athttps://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.

Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

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