Several events in the Naperville area Friday and Saturday will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, when hijackers took control of four large passenger jets, flying two into the Twin Towers buildings in Manhattan and a third into Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field when passengers prevented it from reaching its destination in Washington, D.C.
Among those killed in the Pentagon attack was Navy Cmdr. Dan Shanower, a Naperville native for whom the city created a memorial behind the Naperville Municipal Center and along the Riverwalk. It is where its 9/11 remembrance ceremony, held by the Exchange Club of Naperville in partnership with the city of Naperville, is held every year.
This year the event starts at 8:30 a.m. Featured speaker is Chicago Fire Department Fire Commissioner José Santiago and comments will be made by Naperville Interim Police Chief Jason Arres and Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis. Music will be provided by the Naperville Municipal Band and Naperville Men’s Glee Club.
In the event of rain, the ceremony will move indoors to the Naperville City Council Chambers.
College of DuPage
“Remembering 9/11: Personal Reflections from Ground Zero” is a livestream event presented by the College of DuPage at 10 a.m. Friday.
Mike Fagel, an instructor for the the college’s Homeland Security Training Institute and a certified emergency manager, will talk about his experiences surviving the Pentagon attack and working at Ground Zero. He will also discuss the physical and mental health struggles Ground Zero responders like himself continue to face two decades later.
The virtual discussion can be viewed on cod.edu/911.
College of DuPage will also livestream “9/11 20 Years Later: Our Community Remembers” on its Facebook page from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Robert J. Miller Homeland Security Education Center.
Speakers will include Fagel, COD President Dr. Brian Caputo, COD Homeland Security Training Institute Director Tom Brady, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick and Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief Jim Sisson.
As part of the ceremony, flowers will be laid on the 1,000-pound beam section from the World Trade Center that is housed at the school’s Homeland Security center.
More Top Picks Nest Cam Iq
City of Aurora
The Aurora fire and police departments and Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin will host a ceremony at 7:45 a.m. Saturday at the RiverEdge Park Bridge, 360 N. Broadway, Aurora. This year’s theme is “In Remembrance of Those Who Passed. In Reverence for Those Who Served.”
Six current or former Aurora firefighters who assisted at Ground Zero doing rescue and recovery work will be the special guests and honored for their actions.
Will County Police and Fire Chiefs
The Will County Police and Fire Chiefs will hold a memorial ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday in front of the Will County Courthouse at 100 W. Jefferson St., Joliet.
Boy Scout Troop 75
Boy Scout Troop 75 of Naperville will hold a curbside pancake breakfast as part of Patriot Day from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at Good Shepherd Church, 1310 Shepherd Drive.
Pancake-and-sausage breakfasts cost $5 and can be purchased at napervilletroop75.org. A drive-thru line at Good Shepherd will be set up so the meals can be picked up without needing to get out of the car.
Also being sold for $5 are first responder breakfasts, which can be purchased by anyone who wants a meal delivered to a local first responder working Saturday.
Online orders can be placed through Sept. 10. For more information, go to napervilletroop75.org.