Cadets Observe 9/11 Anniversary with Stair Climb

By Marianne Hause | September 14, 2026

VMI cadets link arms and bow their heads, while carrying backpacks with the names of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack. — Cadets embrace and bow their heads as Col. John Casper ’04 leads them in prayer before the stair climb begins. –VMI Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

Close to 1,000 Virginia Military Institute cadets participated in the annual memorial stair climb. The cadets honored those who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks by avidly ascending and descending the steps in barracks from 1^st stoop to 4^th stoop 37 times, replicating the 110 stories the first responders at the World Trade Center climbed during the rescue attempt that menacing day 25 years ago.

The cadets carried the name of a 9/11 victim taped on the back of their rucks, which were loaded with an average weight of 45 pounds. In addition, some cadets carried firefighting tools, rifles, and flags. Others took turns carrying a fragment of glass recovered from the rubble of the Twin Towers, as well as an American flag recovered from Ground Zero.

Before the climb began, Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87, superintendent, thanked the cadets for engaging in the meaningful activity, and reminded them of the American citizens who were taken too soon and those who have served and sacrificed in fighting terror. He told them to be ready for the tests they will face in their lifetimes. “You’re very young and you have a lot of life ahead of you, but you will be challenged. I don’t know when, and neither do you. So, prepare yourselves mentally, physically, morally, and spiritually for that supreme test in the days ahead.”

VMI cadets climb stairs in barracks. — A cadet carries an American flag amid a mass of others climbing the stairs in barracks. –VMI Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

Col. John Casper ’04, Institute chaplain, who was a cadet on post Sept. 11, 2001, then led the Corps in prayer.

Among the 2,977 lives taken on 9/11 were two VMI alumni, Charles Mathers ’62, a civilian who died when the plane hit the first tower of the World Trade Center, and Lt. Cmdr. David Williams ’91, an officer in the Navy, who died when the plane struck the Pentagon.

Hat, hard hat, and ATM receipt in a museum case. — Items on exhibition as part of the 9/11 display at the VMI Museum. –VMI Photo by Kelly Nye.

Capt. Walt Kreitler ’80, who worked in the Pentagon, survived the strike, having left his office briefly to withdraw cash from an ATM machine. Jim Spellman ’85 spent nearly two weeks following the attack helping to search for survivors at Ground Zero. Items belonging to Kreitler and Spellman, including Kreitler’s ATM receipt time-stamped 9:36, one minute before the plane hit the Pentagon, are part of a temporary 9/11 display available for viewing through Oct. 15 in the VMI Museum in Memorial Hall.

Nathaniel Peacock ’28, firefighting club president and cadet in charge of the stair climb, was pleased with the enthusiastic turnout. “It’s great we all came together to honor those who died. We will never forget.”