After the tragedy on September 11, 2001, a group of caring Naperville residents approached Mayor Pradel to form a committee to honor Commander Dan Shanower, who had been working at the Pentagon that fateful day and lost his life. The committee, spearheaded by Chuck Johanns, met and decided to build a memorial. At the request of the Shanower family, the memorial was dedicated to all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, due to the terrorist attacks.
In 2008, the Exchange Club of Naperville was asked to take over planning the annual service since it ties into their Americanism efforts.
To mark the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Exchange Club again is sponsoring the annual September 11 remembrance at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Memorial.
This year’s program will feature retired Fire Department, City of New York (FDNY) Captain Michael M. Dugan, a 27-year veteran who served as the Captain of Ladder Company 123, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, before retiring in 2012. Dugan will share his story of the day before September 11, when his company held a celebration to rededicate its firehouse. Eleven men at that event did not survive the next day. Dugan recalls a sermon provided at the celebration that became especially meaningful in the context of the events of September 11.
The program will take place at 6PM on Fri., Sept. 11, at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Memorial, nestled between Municipal Center and the DuPage River along the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville.
In case of rain, the event will take place inside Council Chambers at the Municipal Center. Music before the ceremony will begin at 5:45PM.
Postscript / Remembering September 11, 2015
Above / Marty Walker welcomed attendees to the Remembrance of September 2001 for the Exchange Club of Naperville at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Sept. 11 Memorial along the Riverwalk.
During opening remarks, Mayor Steve Chirico said, “Our nation came together as one in the days, weeks and months that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Yet, as time continues to separate us from that day, memories fade and current events redirect our attention. For these reasons, it is more important than ever that we come together on this day each year to remember the thousands of Americans who perished in those horrific attacks on American soil. By gathering, we honor those we lost and seek to rekindle the resolve we felt as a community and as a nation in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. Let us never forget.”
Above / Members of the Naperville Fire Department, Naperville Police Department, American Legion Post 43 and Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 presented the colors after Mayor Steve Chirico gave the introduction during the City’s annual observance.
Above / Naperville resident Nicki Anderson, President and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, led the National Anthem as the camera clearly focused on the Star Spangled Banner. Also pictured are NFD Chief Mark Puknaitis, NPD Chief Bob Marshall and keynote speaker FDNY Captain Michael M. Dugan, now retired.
Other patriotic and faithful musical selections were performed by the Naperville Municipal Band and the Firefighter Highland Guard of Naperville.
Daily Herald / Sept. 12, 2015 / Post by Marie Wilson
