IDAHO — To honor those civilians and first responders who lost their lives on 9/11, a local organization, Mission43, held its 4th annual 9/11 Miles of Remembrance Race today.
Jackie and Leland Mitchell were two of the around 1,100 people who signed up for a 5K through Mission43 to honor veterans and those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks.
"I've been in the military for 12 years in December. I've gone to Iraq and Afghanistan," Leland says.
The couple says they have other family members who are also veterans, so it was natural for them to support and get involved.
Mission43 says the goal of the Miles of Remembrance Race is to make sure people do not forget about this day that changed the nation 19 years ago.
"We wanted to spark conversation, thought and emotions in people about September 11th, 2001," Mission43 Program Coordinator, Dan Nelson says. "Even though it's scary, it's emotional, it makes people angry, it's sad to think and remember about some of the facts of September 11th, 2001, its also important to remember about all of the heroism and bravery, compassion and kindness that stemmed from that day."
Chad Rohr works for Mission43 and served in the Navy for 21 years. He says he's running the race, not once but at least three times.
"It's important to reflect and remember the events of 9/11 and its just an opportunity to go through all of the information and all of the events as the timeline and just reflect on all of that," Rohr says.
While the racers were running, they could listen to a 30-minute audiobook remembering the events that took place on this day 19 years ago.
Since talking with children about this day in history can be challenging, one of the versions was made for children precisely and is read by a child.
Mission43 also created an intermediate teen version and a mature audience version for adults to listen to while running.
"That includes 30 minutes of a narrated timeline of the entire day of September 11th, 2001, including audio recordings of survivors and victims of that day," Nelson says.
To listen to the audiobooks, head to Mission43's website.
