GREENSBORO,N.C. — Triad residents joined the City of Greensboro for a memorial walk Saturday to pay tribute to the brave first responders who sacrificed their lives on September 11, 2001.

What You Need To Know

• Every year thousands of cities across America pay tribute to the lives lost on 9/11 with a memorial walk
• Greensboro residents participated this year by climbing the Eugene parking deck stairs 11 times
• The steps symbolize the 73 flights fire fighters climbed on September 11, 2001

The event was held at the Eugene parking deck in Downtown Greensboro.

Participants climbed the deck 11 times to represent the 73 flights of stairs first responders went up on their rescue mission. 

Each person in attendance received the name and photo of a first responder they could honor with their walk. 

It was Joshua Allen’s first time participating in the climb, but the Northeast Guilford High School senior said it wouldn’t be the last.

He says getting to feel what it’s like to take these steps for himself is eye-opening.

“Being out here representing the situation is helping to put myself in that situation and gives me a scope of how difficult it was for those men and women to respond that day,“ he explained.

There were 343 firefighters who died during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Fayetteville, Winston-Salem and Charlotte also held walks to commemorate the heroes who died on 9/11.