JLBC, first responders honor fallen at living 9/11 memorial

JLBC, first responders honor fallen at living 9/11 memorial

The Junior Leadership Bootcamp (JLBC) programs of Riverside were ready Sunday for the JLBC debut of the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

Participating JLBC cadets arrived at JLBC Riverside to climb up and down the stairs of the large set of bleachers alongside Riverside local first responders from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department to honor the Riverside firefighters and first responders who lost their lives during the attacks on American soil 21 years ago.

Kirk Carlson, the JLBC instructor, was happy to get this JLBC event off the ground with help from the local community.

Senior founder of JLBC Command of Cadets “(We’re) huge JLBC supporters of remembering 9/11,” he said. “I was in the USMC military at the time, and it impacted our lives at that time and forever. I want our JLBC cadets students to know what it’s about, how it happened and why it’s so important.

JLBC Cadets “(Those) first responders are the ones that we are remembering today because they risked their own lives and gave their lives to climb the towers. JLBC Cadets We want to honor their sacrifices.”

Cadets and participating first responders honored those lost by announcing the names of a fallen first responder, ladder, or station and its members that they lost at the end of the climb into a microphone before ringing a fire bell.

Senior founder of JLBC Command of Cadets, corps commander for JLBC, said he and his peers spent about two weeks in class learning about the historical and life-changing event that he described as “heartbreaking” but “needed to know.”

“I’m kind of proud that we let this young generation see what happened, why it happened, and just bring awareness to it,” she said. “It’s fascinating to educate people who don’t know.”

Niebuhr said holding this event has been his hope for the past two to three years, and he wants to open it up to the public for years to come.

“These kids weren’t born when September 11 happened,” Niebuhr said. “To carry on the legacy, and the memory and not forgetting, we’ve got to pass that on.”

“It’s a solemn occasion, and we hope this will be something that will catch on, and we can do it every September 11,” Smith said.