Firefighters Pay Respects at Murrah Bombing Memorial During Sept. 11 Remembrance Run

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Firefighters from the U.S. and Australia are running cross country to honor lives lost on Sept. 11. Sunday, the runners stopped in Oklahoma City at the Murrah bombing memorial to pay their respects.

While 9:02 a.m. will be a time Oklahomans will never forget these firefighters will never forget 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, the time the first plane hit the Twin Towers. They pause at that time every morning to read the names of their fellow firefighters who lost their lives.

"It means a lot to me. It means a lot to all of us," said Ben Schmidt, a firefighter from Australia.

Schmidt is one of 30 firefighters making the round the clock run in the Tour of Duty with firefighters from Australia and New York in tribute to Sept. 11.

"Just to be able to say ‘Look, this is what we like to do to remember your efforts and your sacrifices.' Even though it's a little thing we're doing, it means a lot to us," Schmidt said.

The firefighter from Australia said he's running to remember and visited the Oklahoma City bombing memorial to never forget.

"It's hard to not be overwhelmed by the memorial. It's a brilliant reflection of what happened that day and it's a wonderful memorial for those who lost their lives and for those who tried to rescue them," said Schmidt.

The sweltering weather and the toll running has taken on the firefighters' feet is nothing compared to the toll in so many tragedies.

"When we run we can stop running. You can't stop the pain terrorism, hatred and bigotry causes and that's what happened at the Murrah building, and World Trade Center towers one and two," said retired New York City firefighter Bobby Halton.

Track their journey across the U.S.

"We took a big hit that day, and it's just our way of saying from Australia and America ‘Firefighters, we're thinking of you,'" Schmidt said.

The firefighters began running on August 12 from the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles at 8:46 a.m. They will end their "tour of duty" in New York City on September 11, 2010.