Remembrance rescue truck visits West Chicago
West Chicago, Illinois: August 30, 2013 – West Chicago business owners Kent Jean and Kevin Fett of Evo Exhibits welcomed one of two remaining Rescue Trucks from 9/11 to their facility at 399 Wegner Drive earlier this month. Fett's cousin, Ed Howard, a firefighter from Glenview, Illinois and fellow firefighter Chris Gantz from Skokie, Illinois were preparing to exhibit the historic vehicle at the upcoming International Association of Fire Chiefs conference in McCormack Place, and stopped at the West Chicago business in order to pick up a donated tradeshow display that tells the story of the vehicles for conference attendees.
Howard and Gantz are involved in a restoration project of historic proportion – the Remembrance Rescue Project which has made its mission the refurbishment of the last two remaining FDNY Rescue Trucks, Rescue 4 and Rescue 5, which responded to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The men created the Remembrance Rescue Project, a registered 501c3 not-for-profit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and operated by firefighters from across the country, which raises funds to restore, preserve and operate the Rescues. According to the Project's website, the Rescues serve as mobile memorials to educate, honor and remember the events of 9/11 and all firefighters killed in the line of duty throughout the country every year, especially for youngsters who were too young to actually understand the events of that terrible day and what it means to all of us. Also on the Project's website, www.remembrance.co are the names of the fallen firefighters aboard each Rescue that fateful day almost 12 years ago.
“It should be our duty to lend a helping hand to the men and women that risk their lives for us every day, especially when we are fortunate and are in a position to have a chance to give back, we all should do so. This is a way to educate our children of the history and sacrifice that these men and women made during 9/11. We must never forget!” said Kent Jean.