9/11 We Remember
September 2021 A Special Supplement to
The 9/11 Local Heroes Memorial contains an artifact from the World Trade Center. It stands at the West Mall front entrance to Sauk Valley Community College. The bronze plaque memorial was originally installed near the college’s fire science building but was rededicated in 2017 and moved to its present location.
A memorial built from wreckage of the Twin Towers sits on display at Sauk Valley Community College. Alex T. Paschal — apaschal@shawmedia.com
We remember We asked readers of the Gazette, Telegraph and SaukValley.com to share memories of their experiences related to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Some were relevant to their careers. Others were encounters of happenstance. In some instances, people needed the chance to grieve the loss of life, offer expressions of empathy or get involved with something larger than themselves. The events of that day continue to resonate across this nation.
A memorial on display at Sauk Valley Community College. Alex T. Paschal — apaschal@shawmedia.com
WE REMEMBER THOSE WE LOST 20 YEARS AGO ON 9/11/2001
9/11
We Will Always Remember Today we honor the Victims and 1st Responders lost 20 years ago.
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I was living in Orland Park and working in Wheeling. My daughter who lives in Dixon was staying with me during her summer break from college. We had planned to leave our jobs at noon to visit my mother in Somerset, Pennsylvania. She was living in an assistant living (home) about 15 miles west of Somerset. We left at noon and drove all day and as we exited the Pennsylvania turnpike at the Somerset toll plaza we could not get through the town square as it was blocked with the Pittsburgh Steelers bus and many people. We made our way to my mother’s (former) house and spent the night.
SEPTEMBER 11TH 20TH ANNIVERSARY Shaw Media • September 2021
Sept. 11, 2001 visit with mom ends up at Flight 93 crash site The next morning we went to the assisted living site and picked up my mother to take her for a haircut and a lunch. She did not want to go back, so we called and told the assisted living we were going to visit with her longer. We decided to drive out to visit her friend Rose that lived on Route 30 East. As we drove, the National Guard was directing traffic and yellow tape was everywhere. They saw the Illinois plates and waved us through; probably thought we were lost. As we drove into Rose’s driveway we saw the field across the road — and where the plane had crashed. The plane had passed over Rose’s house three seconds before the crash. What and awful feeling! The memory will always haunt me this time of the year. – Lois Smith, Dixon.
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LET US NEVER FORGET
Visit to Twin Tower Pools of Memory was magnificent, powerful In September 2015, I, along with two of my daughters and a granddaughter, spent four days in New York City. We visited many interesting places: Ellis Island, Trump Towers, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Central Park Tavern on the Green, Chinatown, Little Italy, Times Square, and many more memorable sites. We visited the Twin Tower Pools of Memory. While viewing this magnificent site, we met a woman who was also visiting for the first time since the attack. She shared with us that she worked close by the Towers when they were struck and ran all the way home to avoid and escape the smoke. She also shared that she was able to reach her home that evening. She wanted to know if we knew anyone killed and we responded, no, but we were praying for everyone that was. The park is a very solemn and peaceful place. People were placing yellow flowers on the names of those who perished in the attack. This is a place not to be forgotten.
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– Rita Trent
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Attack came during first day of police training to us what was going on. None of us had access to a cell phone or TV. The instructor turned on a radio which was playing a news report of what was happening in New York. I still believed it was part of the training at that time and that they were simply playing a recording. The class was dismissed and we all went outside where we gathered around our cars and listened to the radio. After a few hours we were told that the training exercise would continue. I would learn that’s Dave Pilgrim of the Rock Falls Police Department holds a child’s coat also gathered during a how law enforcement works: there’s charity drive. Sauk Valley Media a job to be done, no matter what else is going on. broken by the occasion sound of ments. None of us had televisions At the end of the training session, someone crying. There were groups in the rooms that were connected to we drove back toward our housing of U of I students gathered every- cable yet. Smartphones hadn’t been on campus. There were long lines where, but it was so quiet. invented. So we were pretty isolatat the gas stations, gas prices that Everyone was gathered around ed. were “normal” in the morning, had the various televisions in common What I remember most was the tripled, or more. areas, eyes fixed on the images of days and weeks after that day and There were American flags every- planes crashing into buildings, peowhere. When we arrived back at the ple falling from those buildings, how “together” this country felt. – David Pilgrim, Rock Falls chief housing, we went to get something buildings burning and them collapsof police and member of University to eat. ing. We filed into Bromley Hall, where After getting something to eat, of Illinois Police Training Institute we were met with silence — only we made our way back to the apart- Class BLE1964.
THANK YOU TO ALL
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I was at the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois, commonly known as “the police academy.” Having been through one and a half days of orientation, Tuesday would be the first day of actual training. The class had 50-some students from all across the state of Illinois. Each of us, a newly appointed police officer or deputy sheriff. We were told to report to the training center, located off campus in Homer that morning with our paintball masks and other protective gear. As the class sat around waiting for the instructors, we chatted a little, getting to know each other a bit. Training was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., but the instructors were nowhere to be seen. Shortly after 8 a.m., one of the instructors burst into the classroom and exclaimed, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are at war.” We all began looking around at each other, believing this to be part of the day’s training exercise. The instructor began explaining
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America’s 9/11 Memorial Quilt
Memorial quilts were an act of dedication, honor
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lthough, I did not personally know a single person who died that devastating September day, it did not change the broken heart I felt. Days after I joined America’s 9-11 Memorial Quilts Organization as the communications director, although I did not have any schooling or formal training in communications. I did have a heartfelt desire to honor each and every loved one lost that day. I desperately wanted to reach out the families … to touch them, to hold them, to absorb their pain. The organization made nine quilts that were dedicated are as follows: FDNY Quilt hangs in the FDNY Museum in New York City. EMS Quilt, which was made in Dixon with Sue Ramage as the team leader, is hanging in the EMS Museum in Albany, N.Y.
NYPD Quilt is at the NYPD headquarters. NY/NJ Port Authority Police and NY/ NJ Port Authority Staff quilts are both with NY/NJ Port Authority Stations. NY State Court Quilt is in the New York State Court Office. Flight 93 Quilt is in the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. Pentagon Quilt hangs in the Pentagon area of the 9/11 Memorial. America’s 9/11 Memorial Quilt was nicknamed by the surviving families as America’s Quilt. It is 10 feet tall and 60 feet long. Upon this quilt are all loved ones who died that day from New York, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon. This quilt was the very first artifact accepted by the 9/11 Memorial Museum in N.Y.
Our organization wanted to honor those we lost upon these national memorial quilts. We dedicated our hearts, passion, talents, and time to memorialize those who lost their lives on that fateful day, to pay tribute and to honor the life of each loved one lost. We dedicated ourselves to this preservation not only for the families but also for the children for many generations to come. As the communication director, my main responsibility was to contact families, liaisons for families and as many media organizations as I could to be granted permission for the photos and names for placement upon the nine different memorial quilts. I researched, composed letters, organized meetings to receive permission for the photos upon the quilts. I sent letters to many 9/11 organizations, individual companies that lost employees, magazines, newspapers, TV
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ader. The the team le s a e g a m a eR on with Su made in Dix lbany, N.Y. sa Jahn ilt u Q S M E A Credit: Tere seum in with the u s m se S o p M E n h e Teresa Ja angs in th Quilt now h Dixon EMS
stations and to families informing them about the organization and asking permission for photos. We have the deepest respect and honor for the lost loved ones and their families, so we did not print a photo upon the quilts without permission. In the first 5 years, nearly every hour that I was not at work, I would spend on the computer researching and writing letters. Many of my days off work, I would spend 16 hours reaching out to find ways to communicate our quest for permission for photos. On Sept. 10, 2010, we dedicated the Pentagon Quilt, our last. As the communication director, I helped set up the dedications of the quilts. I was the keynote speaker for the Pentagon ceremony. We were then invited by the 9/11 families to attend the 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon. Not only did I meet many warm and loving family members, I shook hands with President Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen. The most humble and highest honor was meeting and hugging family members and hearing them say how very much the quilts mean to them. I can no longer say that I did not know a single person who died that day, because my
Teresa Jahn of Le e Center prepar es to give the ke Dedication Cere ynote address fo mony on Friday r , Sept. 10, 2010 , for the Flight 93 the 9/11 Quilt Quilt. Credit: Teresa Jahn
heart has known each and every one of them. As love was woven into each stitch of America’s 9/11 Memorial Quilts, it is a reminder, that a common thread of faith, hope and love unites us all. Like the various colors and designs of the cloth within the quilts, we are all different. Yet, as Americans, we are as one. It was our hope that we memorialized those we Teresa Jahn of Lee Center shakes hands with President Barack Obama during a quilt dediCredit: Teresa Jahn lost in a compassionate cation ceremony on Sept. 10, 2010. and uplifting way, and Through their stories, photos and lives they with great respect, dignity and honor to heal hearts and preserve continue reaching out to touch others in a positive way. May we all honor them by living memories for years to come. As families, friends and even strangers look our own lives with a reflection of each one of upon the quilts, to see the brilliant smiles, them in our heart. May we always remember. sparkling eyes, and the warm individual personalities that reflect from the hearts of those we lost, may each person feel the warmth – Teresa Jahn, Lee Center and love to bring them a peaceful comfort.
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With heavy heart, judge had to keep news of attacks from jurors On September 11, 2001, I was a Judge conducting a jury trial in Mt. Carroll. During a recess, I went into my chambers, turned on a TV set and saw the second plane hit one of the towers. I instructed the bailiffs to prevent the jurors from hearing any TV, radio or phone messages. After the trial, it was with a heavy heart that I informed the jurors that their country had been attacked. Those 12 citizens left the courtroom in total silence. Several years later, my wife and I visited the Flight 93 National Memorial. While it was then just being developed, it was a chilling experience. We recommend everyone visit. – Richard E. DeMoss
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9 SEPTEMBER 11TH 20TH ANNIVERSARY Shaw Media • September 2021 Photo taken from within the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City by Theresa Murray, who has visited three of the national memorials. Credit: Theresa Murray
Dixon, Sterling to conduct 9/11 observances There are observances Saturday in Dixon and in Sterling commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Dixon Young America’s Foundation will place 2,977 flags at Reagan Park, just next to the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home, as part of its Never Forget Project. Members of the community are invited to participate in the flag placement, which begins at 7:30 a.m. A program begins at 8:30 a.m. that features the Dixon High School Honors Choir and remarks by Kyle Ferrebee, program director for the Reagan Boyhood Home and others. Sterling “We Remember: 9/11 Memorial Ceremony” will be 10 a.m. at Grandon Civic Center, Central Memorial Park. The program will recognize veterans, first responders, health care workers and volunteers. Private observances The National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City recommends that for persons wishing to observe the 20th anniversary privately, a moment of silence can be held at any or all of the following times to mark key moments. Every year, the moments below are observed as part of the official 9/11 anniversary commemoration ceremony held at the World Trade Center for victims’ families.
• 8:46 a.m.: Hijackers deliberately crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into floors 93 through 99 of the North Tower.
• 9:03 a.m.: Hijackers deliberately crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into floors 77 through 85 of the South Tower.
• 9:37 a.m.: Hijackers deliberately crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, near Washington, D.C. • 9:59 a.m.: The South Tower collapsed.
• 10:03 a.m.: After learning of the other attacks, passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 launched a counterattack on hijackers aboard their plane to try to seize control of the aircraft. In response, the hijackers crashed the plane into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
• 10:28 a.m.: The North Tower collapsed, leaving the 16-acre World Trade Center site in ruins and collateral damage affecting all adjacent properties and streets. The rescue effort commenced immediately.
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Events compelled home health nurse to visit attack sites I was working as a home health nurse for CGH Medical Center on 9/11. I arrived at my first patient’s house in Milledgeville. Family members were watching the news on TV. ... I continued to see the rest of my patients for the day. Every household was watching the news and concerned about what had happened. I turned on the car radio when I drove from home to home to keep up on the news. I was sad and prayed for all the people involved in this horrific incident. It was unbelievable that something like this would happen in America. I had the opportunity to visit all three memorial sites. In 2007, my husband Fred and I visited the Pentagon Memorial. At that time it was a small room near the crash site. I remember seeing pictures displayed of the employees who died during the crash. In 2013, my husband and I were going to a family reunion in Pennsylvania. We stopped at Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville. The crash site was roped off and visitors were not allowed to enter the area. Family members were the only ones allowed to go into the site. In 2017 I went to NYC with three of my sisters. We visited the 9/11 Memorial. It was the most touching experience I will always keep in my heart. What I found most touching is when I listened to the recordings of flight passengers leaving messages or talking to their loved ones for the last time. – Theresa Murray
WE WILL NEVER FORGET
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Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America — with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could. Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C. to help with local rescue efforts. Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks. The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight, and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business, as well. The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts. I’ve directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We
will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance. America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.” This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world. Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.
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We Will Never Forget
20TH ANNIVERSARY
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SEPTEMBER 11TH 20TH ANNIVERSARY Shaw Media • September 2021
President George W. Bush’s address to the nation on September 11, 2001
On the evening of September 11, 2001, United States President George W. Bush addressed a nation that earlier that day witnessed the deadliest terrorist attacks in world history. That morning, hijackers took control of four airplanes, ultimately crashing two into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in New York City and another into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in a field near the town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers and crew attempted to regain control of the plane from the hijackers. All passengers and crew on board all four flights died on September 11, and thousands of others on the ground lost their lives that day as well. It was under those conditions that President Bush delivered the following speech to a shaken nation.
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You’re Invited the totothe
20th Anniversary Memorial
9/11NEVER NEVER 9/11
Shaw Media • September 2021
FORGET PROJECT 11 September 2021
The Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home
Event Schedule 7:30 A.M
Flag Setup
9:10 A.M
Dixon Fire Chief Ryan Buskohl
8:30 A.M
Bagpiper opens with Amazing Grace
9:20 A.M
Nurse Sue Coers
9:00 A.M
• National Anthem: Dixon High School Choir; Honor guard (Dixon Am Legion and VFW) • MC: Pat Gorman • Prayer: Pastor Scott Porter, Abiding Word Church • Pledge of Allegiance: Maddie Loomis, Newman Central Catholic High School
9:30 A.M
Mayor Liandro Arellano Jr.
9:45 A.M
Program Concludes
7:00 P.M
Flags Pickup, Bugler plays Taps
• Intro to YAF 9/11: NFP: Kyle Ferrebee
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