310th Company and Community climb Currahee Mountain on 9/11

An Airborne Reserve Unit and members of the community took a hard hike to remember by climbing Currahee Mountain on Friday, September 11. It was done to remember the lives lost on 9/11, said Darren Cinatl, a volunteer at  Camp Toccoa at Currahee, Inc., and President of the All-Airborne Battalion. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we gather in remembrance today, 25 years ago, an attack that really changed this nation, changed the world. Today, we gather, and we honor over 2,977 killed in the attacks themselves, over 7,000 killed in wars, over 5,000 first responders and other people who volunteered on the pile, and other places that have perished from 9/11 related illnesses. So, it’s an honor and a pleasure to gather with you today.”

Jonathan Merck, First Sergeant for the 310th Psychological Operations Company at Fort Gillem, Georgia, said it was a way to honor and remember 9/11. 

“It’s the 25th anniversary, and we are going to ascend the mountain beginning at 8:46 a.m., which is the time that the first plane struck the World Trade Center Tower. So, we’re going to ascend the mountain, and we are going to do it with our first responders. So, firefighters, law enforcement, paramedics, and some of the local community here that just came out to honor and remember that day and the people that lost their lives on it.” 

The soldiers carried packs that weighed between 35-70 pounds, 3 miles up and 3 miles down Currahee Mountain. Staff Sergeant Adam Rodgers said it was a day to honor those who perished on that day.

“Definitely honoring, and I think it is more just we’ve got a lot of troops, surprisingly, that weren’t born, they were born years after 9/11. So, to them it might not hold the same weight, but to us, that we’re around, that we’re in school, it still holds a lot to us, because for many of us it brought us to join the military. So, it’s just a way to honor the people that were lost, and kind of why we’re here, kind of strengthens us, and brings us together as a company, and as a unit.”

Local first responders made the climb. Some firefighters wore full turnout gear. Approximately 60 military members and 40 community members made the climb.