From the Nominator

"In this image, Sierra Company Commander Jaret Price leads a group stair climb in The Citadel’s Stevens Barracks to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack and recognize the sacrifices American troops made in Afghanistan. The cadets, The Citadel’s commandant, college chaplain, and other members of the commandant’s team climbed 110 flights of stairs in unison. The 110 flights represent the 110 floors of the Twin Towers.   

“I think it’s important to honor the men, women, and children who lost their lives that day, whether they were civilians or emergency responders. But it’s also the first 9/11 that we don’t have troops in Afghanistan. Honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice there to defend the freedoms we have today is also very important,” said Cadet Captain Jaret S. Price, Sierra Company Commander. “Climbing stairs is the least we can do.” 

September 11 is always a difficult day. Many members of The Citadel community lost a friend or loved one that day. When we set out to document this event, we wanted to document the patriotism of Citadel cadets while also showing the burden of grief that many members of the community still carry. 

At the time of posting, this image led The Citadel’s most engaged Instagram post of all time in terms of accounts reached, likes, and overall content interactions."

From the Judges

The judges were drawn to this image first and foremost for its excellent composition and use of geometric lines and shapes. The stripes of the flag are compellingly, visually engaging against the checkered floor and surrounding circular arches. The viewers eyes traverse the entirety of the picture before settling on the shadowed profile of the flag bearer, and at that point are drawn in to the deeper story and historical references of the image.