Climbing 110 flights of stairs is an unimaginable feat, but for Dublin PD Officer Cody Cook it serves as a reminder of the greatest sacrifice given by those who perished 23 years ago in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Cook, who is the newest hire for Dublin PD, spent Saturday, Sept. 7 participating in the Dallas 9/11 Stair Climb at CoAmerica Tower in downtown Dallas. The event, held each year, remembers the fallen first responders of the World Trade Center attacks – 343 firefighters and paramedics and 60 police officers and those who have died since then of causes related to 9/11.
“Officer Cook, participating in the Dallas 9/11 Stair Climb is a profound testament to the courage and commitment to our officers. It symbolizes our unwavering respect for the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11 and reminds us of the strength and unity that defines our mission every day,” Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray said.
Each responder climbs for an individual first responder lost in the towers so there is a finite number of entries each year and the climb is known for filling up within minutes.
Cook’s father-in-law Aric Enciso is a fire department Captain with Lake Cities FD and has participated in the stair climb each year for 13 years.
“I knew I wanted to do it with him this year and I made sure I stayed awake after my shift in order to register as soon as it opened at 8 a.m.,” he said.
Finding out that he made it into the climb was full of excitement along with knowledge that he better get prepared physically to climb 110 flights of stairs.
After completing the climb, he admits there is no preparation that truly works.
“I was running every single day and I still wasn’t prepared,” he said.
As the climb took place participants climb 49 flights, then 12 flights, then 49 flights again ... all with complete gear on.
Prior to starting the climb, participants touch a metal beam from one of the towers, say goodbye to their families and enter the stairwell.
“It’s a completely mental challenge,” Cook said.
It’s also an emotional one as last voicemails of those who died are played, and moments of silence and the halting of climbing occurs on the timing with when the towers fell and the airplanes hit.
Cook got the honor of climbing for Port Authority Police Office James Lynch who was in the Port Authority’s main office at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. He was not there because he was on duty but because he was dealing with medical forms from recent knee surgery. He was last seen carrying air tanks and breathing masks up to firefighters.
The 47-year-old was willing to help anyone, according to people who knew him.
Throughout the stairclimb, Cook climbed not only with his father-in-law but also the other Lake Cities FD guys.
“You are a family until the end,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what type of first responder you are. We work together and save people as much as we can.”
For Cook, his favorite part of the event was simply being able to climb with his fatherin- law who keep urging him on, despite the hot and taxing process of climbing 110 flights of stairs.
“Climbing for someone who sacrificed it all and put their lives on the lines is such an honor,” he said.
For the officer, the hardest parts were the moments of silence when the emotional part of the event became even more apparent.
“This is what we are fighting for and remembering who these people are is our duty,” Cook said.
After completing the climb, each participant says the name of the fallen first responder they are climbing for, rings a bell in their honor and places an accountability tag with their name on it on the board.
Reunited with his wife and family afterwards along with the other Lake Cities FD families there was joy about completing the climb but the sacrifice of the upcoming 9/11 anniversary colored the day.
“We all went and had a burger together to help replenish some of the calories we lost,” he said. Cook hopes to get other Dublin PD officers to climb with him next year and plans to wait again until the 8:01 a.m. entry to climb rolls around again.