Joliet maintains vow to never forget 9/11

Dozens gathered Sunday to honor victims of the largest terrorist attack on the United States.

9/11 was the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history but it did not break the American spirit, said Bryan Ogrizovich, commander of Joliet Fire Department’s honor guard.

Ogrizovich spoke Sunday to dozens of people who gathered at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory in Joliet to commemorate the thousands of lives lost in the attack Sept. 11, 2001, that forever changed the nation.

The honor guards from the Joliet Fire Department, Joliet Police Department and the Will County Sheriff’s Office participated in the ceremony. Dennis Mitzner, chaplain of the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Squad, gave the invocation and benediction.

The terrorist attack 21 years ago was meant to break the American spirit but it did not, Ogrizovich said.

“In the days and months following the attack, America saw a rise in patriotism, faith and courage that had not been seen since World War II,” Ogrizovich said. “We as a nation pulled together, helped one another and said, ‘This will not break us.’ But most importantly, we promised never to forget.”

Joliet was among numerous cities throughout the U.S. that marked the 21st anniversary of 9/11.

In a ceremony Sunday at the Pentagon, President Joe Biden said his administration remains committed to to pursuing those responsible for the 9/11 attack. He announced in July that the U.S. had killed Ayman al-Zawahri, a member of the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda, who helped plot the attack with the group’s founder, Osama bin Laden. U.S. forces killed bin Laden in 2011.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercial airliners: American Airlines flight 11 and United Airlines flights 175, 77 and 93.

Flights 11 and 175 crashed into the two towers of the World Trade Center. Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Passengers on flight 93 fought back against their hijackers but the plane crashed in a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania.

Almost 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.

Among them were 343 firefighters, 23 police officers from the New York Police Department and 37 police officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Numerous other first responders died in the attacks, as well.

The firefighters and police officers who responded to the World Trade Center to save others had demonstrated their duty to protect their community and their commitment to their fellow first responders, Ogrizovich said.

“They entered those buildings with one job: to save lives. And they did, but at a cost,” Ogrizovich said.

While fire services today are ever changing, they are steeped in traditions that are 200 years old, Ogrizovich said. One such tradition is the ringing of a bell to honor firefighters who die in the line of duty.

A bell was rung several times to honor the first responders who sacrificed their lives to save others on 9/11. The bell also was rung for the passengers and crews of the four flights who perished in the attacks, those who died at the Pentagon and the thousands who continue to die from 9/11-related illnesses.

In a report last year, the Associated Press noted there are more than 111,000 people were enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program that provides free medical care to people with health problems potentially linked from dust from the twin towers’ collapse.

Ogrizovich said that although it’s been 21 years since 9/11, it is still fresh in the minds of many. He said many youths may only know about the tragedy through school lessons and the media.

In the end, the nation made a vow, he said.

“A vow to honor those we had lost, a vow to care for those who still may feel the impact and a vow to never forget,” Ogrizovich said.

• The Associated Press contributed to this report.