EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — For a few solemn minutes, the rain stopped.
As U.S. Army Col. John Leitner, commander of 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), or 7th SFG(A), began his opening remarks during the unit’s 9/11 Memorial Run at Camp “Bull” Simons, the clouds parted and the rising sun cast an orange glow behind an American flag at half-staff and a larger flag suspended between the aerial ladders of two fire engines.
“We are not here for a routine formation,” Leitner said. “We are here because this moment deserves far more than a passing mention. Twenty-five years have now passed since the attacks that changed our nation forever.”
Soldiers and guests gathered for a ceremony and memorial 9.11 kilometer run commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The event honored the 2,977 people killed that day, the first responders who ran toward danger and the service members who answered the nation’s call during the wars that followed.
Maj. Bryce Wiltermood, command chaplain of 7th SFG(A), opened the ceremony with an invocation honoring those killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He also remembered the firefighters, police officers, medics and ordinary Americans who responded to the attacks.
Wiltermood asked that the run serve as more than a remembrance and reinforce why those in attendance continue to serve, what they stand for and what they remain willing to defend.
That message of remembrance through service continued in the keynote address by Florida Capitol Police Col. Derrick Rahming. Rahming, who also served seven years in the Florida Army National Guard, recalled being 21 years old and attending his second day at the Florida Highway Patrol Academy when instructors rolled televisions into the classroom.
Rahming and his classmates watched the towers burn, the Pentagon come under attack and first responders move toward the destruction. He said witnessing those events gave him a renewed sense of purpose and strengthened his belief that public service was more than a profession—it was a calling.
“This 9/11 Memorial Run is proof of that,” Rahming said. “It’s not just a run—it’s a statement. A reminder that we don’t forget. A reminder that we honor through action.”
As the names of 50 members of 7th SFG(A) who gave their lives fighting the nation’s enemies since Sept. 11, 2001, were read aloud, a breeze moved through the formation and began to sway both American flags.
The reading connected the national loss suffered on 9/11 with the sacrifices made by 7th SFG(A) Soldiers during more than two decades of combat.
Leitner’s remarks also underscored the generational span within the formation. While some Soldiers standing before Leitner remembered watching the attacks unfold and later served during the Global War on Terrorism, others were born after Sept. 11, 2001, and know the events only through history lessons, documentaries and the experiences passed down by those who lived through them.
When the formation stepped off for the memorial run, the clouds closed in around the sun and the rain returned, casting the route in the same somber tone as the ceremony. Some Soldiers ran, others carried rucksacks and some walked solemnly, but each completed the route in honor of those killed during the attacks and throughout the Global War on Terrorism.
For Soldiers who served during the war, the event carried memories of teammates, deployments and sacrifices made over more than two decades of combat.
Capt. Nicholas Schuch, deputy intelligence officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 7th SFG(A), said his family instilled in him and his siblings a commitment to service and that the 9/11 attacks served as the catalyst for his 18-year Army career.
“This morning, I mentally carried all of these people with me on the run,” Schuch said as he pulled out his phone and displayed a list of 13 names. “Those 13 are the people who I served with that sacrificed their lives in deployments supporting the Global War on Terror, and events like these are a really good reminder of why we continue to choose military service and live the lives they never had the chance to live.”
For younger Soldiers, the run provided an opportunity to connect with events that happened before they were born and to better understand the legacy they have inherited.
“Growing up in the world shaped by 9/11 directly inspired my decision to join the military, showing me what true sacrifice and resilience look like,” said Sgt. Abigayle Ramcharan, supply noncommissioned officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 7th SFG(A). “Even though I was born after the attack, serving today is my way of honoring that legacy, serving others, and being part of something bigger than myself.”
Leitner called upon the group’s youngest Soldiers to learn from those who came before them, master their craft and carry forward a legacy of resilience, discipline and quiet professionalism. He also thanked the formation’s seasoned leaders and noncommissioned officers for setting the example the next generation will follow.
“Let us continue to take care of our own and remain ready, always ready, to defend this great country,” Leitner said. “Anything, anytime, anywhere. Lo que sea, cuando sea, donde sea.”
Although the weather shifted from brief sunlight to steady rain, the purpose of the gathering remained unchanged. With every name spoken and every step taken, 7th SFG(A) remembered those lost, honored those who carried the fight forward and reaffirmed its responsibility to preserve their legacy.