Posts Tagged 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center

9/11 anniversary ceremony in Chicago and suburbs

Excerpts from abc7chicago.com:

Memorials across the Chicago area are being held to mark the 19th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

The Chicago Fire Department observed a moment of silence at 7:46 a.m. CT, the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

Flags in Indiana are also flying at half-staff Friday to remember the victims of 9/11.

In Evanston, the fire and police departments held a memorial ceremony from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Fire Station 3, 1105 Central St.

The city of Aurora’s ceremony was live-streamed on Facebook, including a moment of silence, as well as a wreath-laying ceremony.

A Palatine memorial ceremony at the Palatine Firefighters Memorial at the corner of North Brockway and West Slade streets was held at 9 a.m. The fire department honor guard marched to the memorial from the fire station at 39 E. Colfax St.

Wauconda Mayor Lincoln Knight laid a wreath at the villages Heroes of Freedom Memorial and then observe a moment of silence at 9 a.m.

In Gary, a virtual ceremony included lowering the flag to half-staff and a bugler performing taps.

In Glendale Heights, the village will host a silent parade of first responder emergency vehicles and a candlelight service at 7:15 p.m. at the flagpole at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton Ave.

Excerpts from cnbc.com:

Americans are commemorating 9/11 with tributes that have been altered by coronavirus precautions.

In New York, a dispute over coronavirus-safety precautions is leading to split-screen remembrances Friday, one at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza at the World Trade Center and another on a nearby corner. The Pentagon’s observance will be so restricted that not even victims’ families can attend, though small groups can visit the memorial there later in the day.

Still, 9/11 families say it’s important for the nation to pause and remember the hijacked-plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the trade center, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001, shaping American policy, perceptions of safety and daily life in places from airports to office buildings.

The New York memorial is changing one of its ceremony’s central traditions: having relatives read the names of the dead, often adding poignant tributes. Thousands of family members are still invited. But they’ll hear a recording of the names from speakers spread around the vast plaza, a plan that memorial leaders felt would avoid close contact at a stage but still allow families to remember their loved ones at the place where they died.

Over the years, the anniversary also has become a day for volunteering. Because of the pandemic, the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance organization is encouraging people this year to make donations or take other actions that can be accomplished at home.

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Of interest … Remembering the attacks of 9/11/01

Excerpts from abcnews.go.com:

For students from elementary to high school, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack isn’t a memory. It’s history. A new HBO documentary that debuted on the event’s 18th anniversary treats it that way.

The necessity of her project, “What Happened on September 11,” struck filmmaker Amy Schatz when a third grade girl told her about a playdate where she and a friend Googled “Sept. 11 attacks.”

“When a child does that, what he or she finds are some pretty horrific images that are not necessarily appropriate for kids,” Schatz said on Tuesday. “So I felt a responsibility to try to fill that void and try to give kids something that isn’t horrifying and kind of fills in the gap.”

She worked with the Sept. 11 remembrance museum on the story, filming two men who work there giving presentations to third graders. Stephen Kern, who worked on the 62nd floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower, talks about being evacuated. Matthew Crawford, whose father was a firefighter who died that day, discusses his experience. 

The film tells of Osama bin Laden and his activism that started with the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. But it never truly answers the whys. Maybe no one can.

The film doesn’t avoid some of the terrible images of the day: the second plane striking the World Trade Center and resultant fireball, the collapse of each tower and the giant clouds of debris that billowed through the canyons of city streets. 

As part of her research, she interviewed alumni of Stuyvesant High School near the World Trade Center site. But the memories of what they saw, heard and smelled that day — and the uncertainty of how they would get home from school — proved too raw. That’s why “In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11” is a separate film that premieres on HBO three hours after the first one.

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Reflections about 9/11/01

This from John Tobin:

Rather than work on something I should be doing, I chose to do this instead … drats.

Wondering how Elgin, IL could be attached somehow to the September 11th attacks in New York? Attached is a post from another site. It tells the story of four Elgin firefighters (three now retired) and their trip to the East Coast on a mission to deliver a new fire truck. The truck that was built for the FDNY was almost ready to be delivered when the attacks occurred.

Along for the ride, were many very specially made cards of sympathy and concern from some very young (and some older too) citizens of Elgin.

When we were ready to leave Elgin for New York, the entire front of the cab was filled, not only with the cards, but posters and food items for the trip. It’s not too often that you get to see something like this and I will never forget it. I’ve never seen Elgin this united. On the way home after dropping the truck off, we stopped and posted them for all to see.

Read on:

Interesting comments on replacement vehicles for FDNY after 911-01.

There was an order for multiple aerials at Seagrave (SFA) that was trickling out of the factory in Wisconsin during that time frame. One of the most dedicated employees at SFA at that time was Glenn Bennett, a delivery driver with a huge heart. He delivered an aerial just before the attacks and was stranded there. As we all know, the airlines had been shut down.

I called him wondering what was up. He mentioned that he couldn’t get back and, for multiple reasons, SFA was having trouble getting a driver to bring the next aerial out. He said he was at the FDNY shops working on cleaning up rigs, helping install windshields and such to try and get rigs back in service. I immediately called SFA, and since I had driven rigs for them over the years, the dispatcher took me up on my offer … going out with a chase vehicle and three other firefighters from home. The truck was going to be ready on Saturday by noon. What started out as an urgent need to get the rig delivered, turned into a media goodwill tour of sorts to which many at SFA didn’t embrace. I was in trouble for a long time.

After getting the truck to IL late that evening, we set out for NY and drove straight thru. A dilemma was brewing, as the guys wanted to work at ground zero and we were going to arrive in the middle of the night. I wanted to meet up with Glenn (which never happened) and work at the shops, even if it was just sweeping the floors. We decided to take the rig to ground zero and leave at first light for the drop off point in South Plainfield. Not only were they in dire need of the truck, it was also loaded with spare parts. We were met at ground zero with interest and our group was interviewed on radio and even squawk box on CNN. At first light there was gridlock and quite a jaunt to get out of the city. The rig arrived safe and sound and we stayed two days to work “the pile”. As much as the grandstanding comments from some which hurt me very much, that was never our intent, as this turned out to be a creature in its own right. It was always about our FDNY brothers.

PS Glenn you were a hero in your own right. Rest in peace my dear friend.

Seagrave ladder truck being delivered to NYC immediately following the attacks of 9/11/01

All ready to leave EFD station #2….let’s roll.

Seagrave ladder truck being delivered to NYC immediately following the attacks of 9/11/01

Somewhere on I-80….Ohio perhaps.

Seagrave ladder truck being delivered to NYC immediately following the attacks of 9/11/01

Just arriving at ground zero trying to find a safe spot to park.

FDNY Ladder 3 pulled from the rubble of the 9/11 terrorist attacks

The now famous L-3 rolls passed. Interesting how the derbies hang off the truck from the offices of the world trade center…..inclusive of a cord and receiver from someone’s desk. L-3 is now on static display at the memorial. Wonder if ” Jeff we will not forget you” is still on the back door?

the World Trade Center on the night of 9/11/01

Taking it all in as a tower ladder still flows water and parts of what are left of the world trade center rise up high into the night sky.

the World Trade Center on the morning of 9/12/01

The night begins to give up it’s darkness and the complete picture will be in view soon.

aftermath of the attacks of 9/11/01 seen on 9/12/01

An FDNY officer overlooks “the pile” as it was to be called. At various points bucket brigades were set up to sift thru the derbies for anything that could be recovered. It was anyone’s guess what might be in the ground up derbies….. I have never since looked upon a plastic bucket the same as before 911.

Firefighter with new fire truck at the World Trade Center on 9/12/01

My chase driver readies our final route to safely deliver the rig, which was loaded with much needed spare parts for the rigs that would be salvaged. Later he would uncover a fire fighter on “the pile” and alert the FDNY team to remove the remains.

memorials outside a NYC fire station on 9/12/01

The look on the fire fighter’s face says it all….I didn’t get a chance to say hello….his “T” shirt said Las Vegas FD on the back. There were fire fighters from all over the country that came to New York after the attacks. Many were frustrated as there was nothing they could do…..I felt fortunate to have had a task to complete.

cards are posted at a fire station after the attacks of 9/11/01

Up go more cards from the Elgin school kids….not one was missed.

FDNY Ladder 11 one year after the attacks of 9/11/01

A year later some of us returned to visit where the truck ended up. Eleven Truck as it is called is in the Alphabet city section of New York, not far from where the world trade center stood. The burned ladder sign on the front of the station, was recovered off their wrecked truck.

FDNY Ladder 11 after the attacks of 9/11/01

The front mural says it all.

Firefighters with American Flag at ground zero on 9/12/01

They promised they would never forget

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9/11 Anniversary – stories

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

About three years ago, Chuck Wehrli said he started hearing the conspiracy theories. The retired Naperville Fire Department captain responded to New York City in the days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. Since then, each fall he talks to students at Neuqua Valley High School about his experiences among the detritus of the World Trade Center.

Each year, fewer kids remembered the day airplanes flew into the twin towers. As such, Wehrli said he hears more and more voices each year questioning whether two passenger airplanes really did fly into the Manhattan towers. This September, the students he spoke to were all of one year old when the attacks happened.

Wehrli responded as a member of a search and rescue team out of Missouri. So far, he hasn’t suffered side effects from inhaling dust that, in following years, caused serious health problems for many.

He remembered helping to pull a body from the wreckage that turned out to be a New York firefighter who gave him a patch off his hat seven years earlier.

Harder than pulling out bodies, was seeing faces of the firefighters that survived.

He makes sure to mention Dan Shanower in his presentation. The Naperville Central graduate died when a passenger jet hit the Pentagon on the same day as the attacks on the twin towers. A friend of Wehrli’s and Fairfax County firefighters found Shanower’s body in Washington D.C.

thanks Dan

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9/11 Anniversary – stories

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Nothing could prepare them for the unthinkable. But as they stood by the rubble, a New York City fire chief introduced them to 16 acres of destruction that once was the World Trade Center. The New York chief laid out a few ground rules when the group arrived at ground zero. Only FDNY crews could move the body of one of their own.

“Your company goes and gets you and brings you out,” said Bob Hoff, now Carol Stream’s fire chief and then a district chief in Chicago,  of a point of pride in the fire service. “And that’s what New York did. They carried their own people out.”

A group of 87 firefighters from Chicago and the suburbs volunteered in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They took 10- to 12-hour shifts at ground zero and tried to sleep on the sidewalk a few blocks away. And yet, despite the emotional toll, they call it an honor, a privilege to help their friends in New York.

Outside the city’s fire academy, they packed trucks and vans with gear, saws, bottles of water. By a stroke of luck, Chicago firefighters had switched into new breathing apparatus. Hoff and his crew brought the older style, the same kind used by a New York department devastated by the loss of lives and equipment in the collapse of the twin towers.

“We’d come back from the site and go to where we were stationed, and there would be nurses there just to clear your eyes out, all the dust in your eyes,” Hoff said.

Hoff also speaks of trying to find the good after a tragedy. When he was 5, his father, a Chicago battalion chief, was killed battling a fire in an apartment building on Valentine’s Day 1962.

“You can have grief, but your life goes on. You’ve got to make something positive out of things,” Hoff said. “I know every one of those guys who were killed were probably thinking that for their families, their wives.

After five days, they headed home to Chicago. Hoff wished they “could have done more.” Schneidwind was “heartbroken” to leave. Both knew the job was far from over.

thanks Dan

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9/11 Anniversary – stories

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

On Sept. 11, 2001, Lloyd Miller … watched the World Trade Center towers crumble and his future came into focus. Miller enrolled in classes to become a firefighter … and iIn 2005, he was sworn in as a Mount Prospect firefighter/paramedic.

Just as 9/11 propelled some men and women to join the military or police forces, that infamous day and the heroism shown by many at the scene inspired a new wave of interest in firefighting.

Elgin firefighter/paramedic Kanen Terry, who is one of those people. He was 18 on 9/11. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent two six-month tours of duty in the Persian Gulf. In the Navy, he says, “everyone’s a firefighter” and he learned a lot about chemical warfare and hazardous materials. That knowledge, plus a 9/11-fueled desire to help others, led him to become a firefighter in 2009.

For Christopher Clausen, Sept. 11 intensified a desire to serve others.  Clausen, a lieutenant with the Elgin Fire Department, became the first in his family to join the fire service.

For Des Plaines firefighter Kevin Murphy, 9/11 made him re-evaluate his life and consider a firefighting career.

thanks Dan

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9/11 remembrance ceremony – North Maine FPD

The North Maine Fire Protection District received a section of steel from the World Trade Center wreckage and unveiled it on Sunday at a memorial service commemorating the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks to date on US soil. The artifact was incorporated into an existing 9/11 memorial in the Ridgewood Cemetery on Milwaukee Avenue.

Tim  Olk attended the event and submitted these images.

North Maine Fire Protection District 9/11 memorial ceremony world trade center steel

Members of the North maine FPD honor guard stand by the department's 9/11 memorial which was unveiled at a ceremony on Sunday. Tim Olk photo

North Maine Fire Protection District 9/11 memorial ceremony world trade center steel

The 9/11 memorial which features a section of steel from the World Trade Center collapse was incorporated into an existing 9/11 memorial that features granite benches along a lake providing an area for quiet reflection. Tim Olk photo

A gallery with more images can be viewed HERE.

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9/11 remembrance ceremony – Lake Forest Fire Department

The Lake Forest Fire Department and the Lake Forest Police Department held a special remembrance ceremony on Sunday to remember the deaths of 2977 people including the 343 uniformed members of the FDNY, 23 members of the NYPD, and the 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department.

The event was held at the Market Square in downtown Lake Forest. Aerials from Lake Forest and Knollwood were crossed over the square and supported an American flag. The ceremony featured several speakers and a bell ringing ceremony.

Tim Olk was at the ceremony and submitted several images.

Lake Forest 9/11 remembrance ceremony 10th anniversary

Knollwood and Lake Forest aerials were extended and crossed over the Market Square in Lake Forest where a ceremony took place to mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Tim Olk photo

Lake Forest remembrance ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

An honor guard made up of Lake Forest police officers and firefighters march the colors into the ceremony. Tim Olk photo

Lake Forest remembrance ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

The honor guard prepares to post the colors as uniformed members of the police and fire departments stand on either side of the fountain. Tim Olk photo

Lake Forest 9/11 remembrance ceremony 10th anniversary

Uniformed members from Lake Forest and Knollwood stand in formation during the ceremony. Tim Olk photo

Tim Olk was at the ceremony and submitted several images.

Lake Forest Fire Chief Jeffrey Howell addressed the assembled firefighters and guests. Tim Olk photo

Tim Olk was at the ceremony and submitted several images.

Local residents attended the ceremony and this young man took the opportunity to show his patriotism. Tim Olk photo

Lake Forest remembrance ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

The ceremony was attended by several retired Lake Forest firefighters. Tim Olk photo

Lake Forest 9/11 remembrance ceremony 10th anniversary

A traditional bell ringing ceremony was part of the program. Tim Olk photo

Lake Forest 9/11 remembrance ceremony 10th anniversary

The Lake Forest mayor is the owner of this refurbished 1977 Seagrave P-series engine that formerly saw service in McCook. The engine was on display at the 9/11 remembrance ceremony. Tim Olk photo

McCook Fire Department 1979 Seagrave engine

The engine owned by the Lake Forest mayor used to be painted yellow as seen here when it belonged to McCook. Bill Friedrich photo

A gallery with many images can be viewed HERE.

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9/11 symphonic band concert in Buffalo Grove with 9/11 remembrance

The Village of Buffalo Grove, the Buffalo Grove Symphonic Band, and the Buffalo Grove Arts Commission had a public concert to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the devastating attacks that occurred on 9/11/01 in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. They invited several guest speakers and asked the Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department Honor Guard to take part in the event. In between songs played by the band, there was mention of the attacks by Congressman Robert Dold and a US Army General who began his remarks saying that the events of 9/11 were a tragic accident.

Fortunately, the honor guard was present along with a bagpiper to remind those in attendance of the sacrifice and significance of the first responders and those that were killed. The fire department also incorporated a bell ringing ceremony which included Amazing Grace played by a member of the Chicago Highlanders Pipe Band and Drum Band.

Larry Shapiro attended the event had submitted several images.

 

Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department 9/11 remembrance

Members of the Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department Honor Guard are joined by local Boy Scouts as they prepare to post the colors at the concert. Larry Shapiro photo

Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department 9/11 remembrance

The American and State of Illinois flags cross prior to the colors being posted. Larry Shapiro photo

Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department 9/11 remembrance

Members of the Buffalo Grove Fire Department Honor Guard perform a bell ringing ceremony. Larry Shapiro photo

 

Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department 9/11 remembrance

A bagpiper played Amazing Grace in conjunction with the bell ringing ceremony. Larry Shapiro photo

 

Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department 9/11 remembrance

Audience members that have served in any branch of the US military were acknowledged and thanked for service to their country. Larry Shapiro photo

 

Buffalo Grove Fire and Police Department 9/11 remembrance

The second half of the assembled honor guard and Boy Scouts prepares to retrieve the colors at the end of the concert. Larry Shapiro photo

A gallery with more images can be viewed HERE.

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9/11 remembrance ceremony – Park Ridge Fire Department

The Park Ridge Fire and Police Departments had a memorial ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Sunday, September 11, 2011. The event took place at Maine West High School on the corner of Dempster and Potter. There were several speakers on the agenda as well as the arrival of an artifact from the World Trade Center that was given to the city. The Chicago Highlanders Pipe and Drum Band along with the police and fire department honor guard escorted the steel beam into the ceremony. The artifact was in the bed of Park Ridge Engine 35 covered with an American flag and was treated in a manner to honor those who were killed that day. The honor guard carried the flag draped beam to the stage and kept a constant watch throughout the day to allow visitors to view the artifact.

Larry Shapiro attended the ceremony and submitted several images.

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

Members of the fire and police honor guard drape the steel beam with an American flag as they make final preparations before the 9/11 anniversary ceremony begins. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

The Chicago Highlanders Pipe and Drum Band leads a somber processional down Potter Road as they escort the World Trade Center steel to the ceremony. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

Following the pipe and drum band is the combined police/fire honor guard, a squad car, and an engine serving as a caisson with the steel beam. Larry Shapiro photo

 

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

Members of the honor guard walk on each side of the engine as it approaches the assembled visitors and dignitaries. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

The engine carrying the steel with members of the honor guard. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

The flag draped steel is carried to the front steps of the high school where it will rest during the ceremony. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

The ceremony included a 21-gun salute from the Park Ridge VFW color guard. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

A bell ringing ceremony recognized the first responders that were killed. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

A local resident performed taps to complete the bell ringing ceremony. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

The honor guard stands watch over the beam during ceremony. Larry Shapiro photo

Park Ridge 9/11 Commemorative Ceremony and ground zero artifact

As the ceremony concluded, the honor guard folded the flag which was used to cover the 9/11 artifact. Larry Shapiro photo

 

More images can be viewed HERE.

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