Sept. 11 Remembrance at 8:15AM
The Dan Shanower/Sept. 11 Memorial Committee will hold an anniversary
commemoration at the site of the planned memorial on the grounds of the Municipal Center on Wed., Sept. 11, and all citizens are invited to attend to show the community's support. Events begin with the NCHS band playing patriotic music at 8:15AM, brief program at 8:25 with the day and hour of 8:37 recognized as exactly one year after the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001.
Later in the day, at 7PM, a concert will be played on the Millennium
Carillon. The Millennium Carillon in the Moser Tower is located at the base Rotary Hill along the Naperville Riverwalk off Aurora Avenue across from Naperville Central High School.
A Commander and His Colleagues
Midway into
Commander Dan Shanower's
voyage of life,
(a trip he anticipated would last
at least four score years),
the ship of fate
on which he proudly journeyed
was broad-sided by death.
And because of the unexpected
act of terror that tore into the side of the Pentagon,
this "officer and a gentleman"
never knew what hit him.
Neither did the other 189
who proved that tragic Tuesday
what Dan had written long before.
That "freedom isn't free."
That there is always a price tag
to the priceless privilege
we too often take for granted.
Routinely sitting at their desks,
those who died did so
responsibly standing their ground
against enemies ("foreign or domestic")
who would try to steal
what has been purchased
by the blood of countless patriots.
And to that lengthy list we now add their names.
Names engraved on white granite markers
planted on a green grassy field
overlooking that five-sided fortress.
Names that now claim a place in history
as well as in our hearts.
Peace be to their memories.
by Greg Asimakoupoulos
Naperville, IL
Let's Hear It For Our Heroes
Let's hear it for our heroes
for firemen and cops
for those who live at risk each day
that terror might be stopped.
A wife who got a phone call
from Tower Number Two
who heard her husband say "Goodbye!"
and "Darling, I love you!"
Commander Dan Shanower
who grew up where we live
who died inside the Pentagon
with so much more to give.
A boyish man named Beamer
and other daring souls
who fought their captors in the sky
as Todd called out "Let's roll!"
A mayor known as Rudy
who searched for those who died
who roamed Manhattan day and night
and held Her as She cried.
A preacher we call Billy
now old with trembling hands
who stood in a Cathedral
to say God understands.
A nation of survivors
united by a cause
who perseveres in search of peace
in spite of fears or flaws.
Let's hear it for our heroes
those living and those gone
who bravely did what duty asked
that freedom might live on.
Greg Asimakoupoulos
Naperville, IL
