Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Larry Shapiro photo

Schaumburg Fire Department Battalion Chief John Schneidwind is retiring this week after 34 years to become chief of the Itasca Fire Protection District.

For the past 20 years, Schneidwind has been called upon to share memories of his five fateful days in New York City as one of three members of the Schaumburg Fire Department who traveled to the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack and how his perspective on them has changed over time.

In September 2001, he had two young children at home. Today, he is a grandfather.

Volunteering for the trip started with him being asked to work his supervisor’s shifts in Schaumburg so that the supervisor could go to New York. Schneidwind instead asked whether there was room for him to go along as well. A large part of his motivation to join firefighters from across the nation at ground zero was the notion that they were taking part in a rescue mission, not just a recovery.

During one all-too-brief moment, he felt that wish might be fulfilled. He came upon a huge celebration and cheers after four firefighters were pulled alive from the rubble. But he later learned they had become trapped only earlier that day and were not part of the original collapse.

By the end of the trip, he was drained both emotionally and physically, but also deeply proud of his profession.

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