7th SFG(A) honors fallen during 9/11 Memorial Run

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 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.