9/11 run draws large participation

  • Published
  • By Jose T. Garza III
  • JBSA-Lackland Public Affairs
9/14/2012 --  JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Roughly 875 Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland military and civilian personnel and dependents honored victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the Robert D. Gaylor NCO Academy's "Let's Lift Up Our Fallen" 9/11 Remembrance Run Tuesday at
the 1.5-mile track.

In addition to running, participants from various organizations on base were given the opportunity to read the names of the attacks' nearly 3,000 victims during the 9-hour, 11-minute run.

For one runner, it was a chance to honor the fallen of her hometown.

Staff Sgt. Maribelle Hernandez, 802nd Force Support Squadron, manpower and organization section, is a native of the Bronx in New York City. A high school senior attending boarding school in Syracuse,N.Y., Hernandez remembered her feelings after
learning planes had slammed into the World Trade Center's twin towers.

"I was called to the principal's office, along with all the other students from New York City," Hernandez said. "The school administrators told us we needed to contact our families."

Her immediate thoughts were to find out about her family, who still lived in the Bronx; her father worked in Manhattan. With the telephone circuits either jammed by callers or down completely, it was an anxious time for Hernandez.

"It took about four or five hours to get through," she said.

Finally, after talking to her family, she was relieved to know they were uninjured and safe.

Hernandez and 13 of her squadron co-workers, including Humberto Aransaenz, a civilian government employee at the unit, ran a total of 67.5 miles during the event. An avid participant in 9/11 events, Aransaenz has been honoring the memory of the victims of 9/11 for years.

"This day brings back so many memories. This is the least we can do to for those who lost their lives in the towers and elsewhere," Aransaenz said. "This event is just one more way of (demonstrating respect for) those who lost their lives that day."

Tech. Sgt. Nonika Green, an event coordinator and instructor at the NCO academy, was pleased with tremendous support and participation.

"I am excited this many people turned out," Green said. "I really appreciate all the JBSA-Lackland participation, from the volunteers who pledged their support early on to the members of the 802nd Civil Engineer Squadron who came through at crunch time. They all stepped up and made this event a success.

"People were contacting me asking, 'What can I do to help?'" Green said. "There was just a mass of support by our people, from volunteering to help pick up the garbage to reading the names of the fallen.

"I really want to thank the civil engineer squadron," she said. "We found out the day before the run the track is no longer used for physical training fitness tests. So, we were wondering, 'Who's turning the lights on?'"

The 802nd CES came through at the 11th hour and had the track lights on early Tuesday morning so Green and her volunteers wouldn't have to work in the dark to prepare for the
event.  Once everything was set up, military and civilian participants were ready to honor the victims of 9/11.

"The (outpouring of support) was tremendous thanks to everyone - the military, the civilians and their dependent family members. Especially the civilians, they played an instrumental part in the event because most of them have a legacy of military service,"
Green said. "A lot of the individuals who lost their lives on Sept. 11 were civilians and government employees. Having them reading the names and joining our military personnel by participating in the event made it complete."