Flags were flown at half-staff in Skokie and across the North Shore Friday, as residents and first responders took time to remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that 25 years ago forever changed the nation.
“I’ll never forget the day it happened,” Skokie resident Kathy Ryan told Pioneer Press at one of three remembrance ceremonies hosted by the Skokie Fire Department to honor the lives lost that day.
“I was in our family room getting ready to go to my bowling league…my husband said, ‘you gotta see this,’ and at first, he thought it was just a small plane and I said no, it couldn’t have been an accident, [the attack’s] too direct.”
Ryan said it felt like the whole world went still for a moment, waiting and watching to comprehend what was happening.
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“All of a sudden, everything got silent,” she added. “They had grounded all airlines. It was the eeriest thing — you could hear the birds.”
“My parents lost friends,” said Ann Green, a friend of Ryan’s, at the ceremony. “It’s just sad. It’s a sad day.”
Green and Ryan return to Fire Station 16 on Niles Center Road, Skokie’s Fire Department headquarters, every year to pay tribute to the victims of 9/11 and the fallen first responders who gave their lives in the line of duty.
This year felt particularly heavy, onlookers reflected, as the U.S. terrorist attacks that sent hijacked planes crashing into New York City’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, occurred exactly a quarter century ago. Nearly 3,000 people died as a result.
The commemoration ceremony began at 8:59 a.m., just moments before the time that Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center’s south tower on Sept. 11, 2001.
Members of Skokie’s Fire Department, along with police officers, emergency service operators and public safety staff participated in an honor guard procession Friday, surrounded by dozens of local residents.
After a brief ceremonial march and flag lowering, first responders collectively lowered their heads, taking a moment of silence for the victims.
“It’s an important day in fire service history,” Skokie fire Chief Nicholas Eschner told Pioneer Press.
“Not only do we have to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on that day, and other law enforcement, civilian lives that were lost, but also we learned a lot from this day, as far as our incident command, our communications…all those lessons that we learned truly have impacted how we operate today.”
Eschner said the Fire Department began this tradition in 2002 and has kept the remembrance ceremony “nearly identical” every year since.
“There was some discussion this year, whether we do something a little different, but the decision was made to stay the course, continue to do exactly what we’ve done for the last 24 years,” he said.
Eschner added he was a sophomore in high school at the time of the attacks, reflecting that the national tragedy was in part what inspired him to become a firefighter.
“I remember sitting in that computer lab, and really I knew I wanted to be a firefighter, but [9/11] kind of catapulted me into [this being] a permanent decision for me.”
“It really means a lot to us to see the community continuing to come out for this,” Skokie police Chief Jesse Barnes said.
“9/11, the event obviously changed law enforcement dramatically,” he added.
“We’ve seen that evolution, it’s really forced [police officers] to focus on training and technology and tools that we need to keep people safe…a lot of officers decided on this career based on some of the events that happened that day too.”
Evanston Fire and Police Departments had scheduled their own memorial ceremonies Friday to honor service members and the victims of 9/11. Plans called for Evanston’s ceremony to be attended by state Rep. Robyn Gabel, former Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty, fire and police staff and 9/11 survivor Mark Shore, according to a city announcement.
Winnetka organized a local flag display and additional community-wide observances. Glencoe planned a morning ceremony at the veterans flagpole on Vernon and Lincoln Avenues.
In Northfield, residents and first responders planned to gather around 8:30 a.m. at the fire rescue facility to reflect on the 25th anniversary and participate in a tolling of the station bell to mark the first tower’s collapse.
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“It’s so important that people not forget,” Skokie resident Ryan said. “It’s hard to imagine this was 25 years ago, but in some ways, it feels like yesterday.”