Palos Heights Fire Chief Dan Ritter remembers exactly how his morning began on Sept. 11, 2001.
He was having coffee with his wife and watching the WGN morning news when the regular programming was suddenly interrupted by live coverage of an airplane crashing into the World Trade Center.
“A moment that changed our lives forever,” Ritter said.
Twenty-five years later, Ritter joined police officers, firefighters, city officials and residents Friday morning outside Palos Heights City Hall to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day and the first responders who never made it home.
The city held its 9/11 Memorial Ceremony at 7:45 a.m. Sept. 11, exactly 25 years after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center.
Mayor Bob Straz said the time of the ceremony was chosen intentionally.
“I wanted to hold this memorial on the exact time the first plane crashed,” Straz said.
The ceremony also marked the unveiling of a new 25th anniversary monument outside City Hall. The city’s existing memorial honors all of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, while the new monument is dedicated specifically to the police officers and firefighters who died while responding to the tragedy.
The existing memorial was designed to represent the two World Trade Center towers, with the Pentagon represented between them.
Straz was working at City Hall when he first heard about the attacks.
“I was working here at City Hall when I heard about the horrific events on 9/11,” Straz said. “I remember everything about that day vividly.”
The mayor said he also remembers what happened in the days that followed.
“I also remember the days that followed — the first responders and the people coming together — the unity and strength of community,” he said.
That sense of community was evident Friday morning as people gathered to mark an anniversary that has now spanned a quarter century.
The ceremony began with a welcome from Straz, followed by the posting of the colors by William Lavelle and Michael Higgins. Commander Scott Allen offered a prayer, and Alderman Jack Clifford participated in the laying of the wreath.
Straz and Clifford then dedicated the new monument, followed by remarks from members of the Palos Heights Police and Fire departments and Master Sgt. Christine Jastczemski.
Clifford said remembering 9/11 means remembering both the terrible loss and what followed.
“We remember not only the sorrow of that day but the incredible light that emerged from the wreckage,” Clifford said.
He said reflecting on the past 25 years is important because it serves as a reminder of the strength that can come from people standing together.
A total of 441 first responders died on 9/11.
Palos Heights Police Chief Michael Yott said memories of that morning remain remarkably clear, even after 25 years.
“It’s 25 years later and we can still remember where we were and what we were doing on that day,” Yott said.
Former state Rep. Fran Hurley, a lifelong resident of the 18th District who has spent more than 30 years in public service, was among those attending Friday’s ceremony.
Hurley said the effort put into the ceremony reflected the character of the community.
“The City put so much effort into this event today. Palos Heights is really a great community,” Hurley said.
The 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks came from more than 90 countries and represented people of all ages, backgrounds and professions.
Their names and stories have remained part of the nation’s memory for 25 years.
The new monument will now stand outside City Hall as a permanent reminder of the men and women who responded to the attacks, including the police officers and firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Twenty-five years later, the memories remain vivid.
So does the reminder of what happened when ordinary people faced an extraordinary tragedy and came together.
