The Naperville community gathered at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower September 11 Memorial along the Riverwalk for the annual September 11 Ceremony.
The remembrance with patriotic music performed by the Naperville Municipal Band honored nearly 3,000 individuals killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and aboard Flights 11, 77, 175 and 93.
Organized by the Exchange Club of Naperville Americanism Committee, under the leadership of Marty Walker, the Ceremony also paid tribute to Navy Commander Dan Shanower, a Naperville native who was killed while serving at the Pentagon on the fateful day in 2001.
The tribute began with the combined Honor Guard of Naperville Police and Firefighters, as well as Veterans from the American Legion Post 43 and Judd Kendall American Legion Post 3873, greetings from Exchange Club members Marty Walker and Ron Amato. The program included remarks from Mayor Steve Chirico, a prayer by Chaplin Mike Crowell of the Naperville Fire Department, followed by ceremonial tributes from Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis and recognition of recent public safety challenges by Police Chief Bob Marshall.
The Shanower family was represented by Stephanie Shanower, Dan Shanower’s niece, who laid a wreath at the site.
“The National Anthem” and “This Land Is Your Land” were performed by Anna Fosco, a member of the Young Naperville Singers. Exchange Club member Lisa Gangi sang “God Bless America” accompanied by the Naperville Municipal Band with an invitation for the audience of several hundred to participate. The Firefighters Highland Guard of Naperville played “Amazing Grace.”
The Cmdr. Dan Shanower Sept. 11 Memorial along the Naperville Riverwalk is open every day as a place for visitors to pause, reflect and remember the sacrifices made on Sept. 11, 2001, by first responders, military men and military women who served on that fateful day.
The Sept. 11 Memorial also is just steps from the Exchange Club Freedom Shrine, a display of replicas of important historic documents, framed on the exterior wall of the Naperville Municipal Center.
The bench is a permanent reminder that “Freedom Isn’t Free.”
