Observances are planned in some south and southwest suburbs Wednesday in remembrance of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 1, 2001.
Southland communities will gather at firehouses, city halls and memorials to observe the 23rd anniversary of the attack, which killed nearly 3,000 people after al-Qaida hijackers sent two planes into New York’s World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and another into a field in Pennsylvania.
Midlothian
The Midlothian Fire Department will host a ceremony at 9 a.m. at the Village Greens on 147th Street and Waverly Avenue.
New Lenox
New Lenox will host an observance at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the American Legion Thomas Hartung Post 1977, 14414 Ford Drive. The event is at the northeast corner of the property, near the flag post.
Oak Lawn
Oak Lawn’s event, hosted by the Johnson-Phelps Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., will begin at 9:11 a.m. outside the Patriot Station, the Metra station at 95th Street and Museum Drive. Fire Chief Mike McMillin said Mayor Terry Vorderer is scheduled to speak.
The station is home to the village’s First Responder 9/11 Memorial, which consists of four, 22-foot beams made from the north tower of the World Trade Center. The memorial, which McMillin said is one of the largest in the county, is open to the public 24 hours a day.
“It’s a pretty substantial memorial, I don’t know of any other of its size,” McMillin said.
McMillin said weather permitting, the event is hosted at the memorial each year. Both police and fire officials will be in attendance, he said.
A smaller piece cut from one of the beams is displayed at the nearby Oak Lawn Children’s Museum.
Orland Park
The Orland Park Fire Protection District will host a memorial ceremony at 8:30 a.m. at the administration building, 9790 W. 151st St., at the northeast corner of the building by the Firefighter Remembrance memorial.
Each year, the commemoration features the ringing of the Fireman’s bell, said Gerry Strunka, executive assistant to the fire chief. This tradition marks the end of an emergency or honors firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
A member of the honor guard will ring the bell three times and lower the U.S. flag, she said.
The fire district holds the event each year to honor the lives lost during the attack, including more than 400 first responders. While not as many people show up as they did in the first few years after the attack, Strunka said the department will continue to hold the small ceremony.
“We do it every year without fail, weekends and everything,” Strunka said. “It’s one of those things where you don’t want it to become old news, because it was so horrific. We always try not to forget about making it happen.”
Tinley Park
Tinley Park’s observance will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Fire Station 46, 17355 S. 68th Court, next to a beam from the World Trade Center.
The ceremony will feature speeches from Mayor Michael Glotz and fire Chief Steve Klotz, and will be broadcast live on the village’s public safety Facebook page.
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