24 years later: A moment of silence at dawn on top of the Manitou Incline on 9/11
Sadie Buggle
MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On the morning of Sept. 11, hundreds of first responders and supporters from across the state and nation climbed over 2700 steps, or about 190 flights of stairs, on the Manitou incline – a symbolic hike of the final climb hundreds of firefighters made inside the Twin Towers.
Retired New York firefighter Lori Ann Santini led a moment of silence at the top of the steps at 6:46 a.m. MST, the same time terrorists flew a plane into the first tower. She did so carrying a flag with the names of all 343 firefighters who died in the attack.
“We are souls tied together by this event, ” Santini said. “It will be with us forever.”
Santini said she was sworn in as a firefighter just 10 minutes before the first tower fell. It was her first day on the job. She responded to the call, deploying to Ground Zero in the following days.
“What do you think about when you see these pictures?” KRDO 13’s Bradley Davis asked Santini while she showed him her photos from Ground Zero.
“It’s actually what I taste. Concrete.” Santini said.
Santini has had two different types of cancers and still has lung issues she said were caused by the air breathing in the toxic air while responding to the 9/11 attacks.
“It’s a humble reminder I served,” Santini said.
Before meeting Santini, Davis started his hike with 50 for the Fallen founder Chad Conely. His nonprofit supports veterans and first responders in crisis. He went up and down with a 50-pound railroad tie in his pack.
“Our job is to come out today and just let them know that they still matter, let their family know that we love them and let them know from today until forever, they’re always going to be a part of us,” Conley said.
In what has become an annual tradition, Manitou Springs firefighters also led hundreds from across the country up the stairs in their full firefighting gear.
Since 9/11, more Ground Zero first responders have died from cancer and other health complications stemming from their service than died in the attack itself.