Wheaton marks Sept. 11 anniversary with bell toll

It was a quiet, solemn morning outside the Wheaton Fire Department's headquarters Friday, where police officers, firefighters and residents gathered to mark the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

With the U.S. flag waving behind him at half-staff, Fire Chief William Schultz said the day could be summed up with the phrase “Never Forget.”

“It's important that we come together as a community to recognize that,” he said. “Many of our personnel — police, fire and EMS — have family members or know people who were affected by 9/11. I think we owe that to them, to come together and never forget. As long as I'm fire chief here, we will do this ceremony.”

Even though the gathering was small, Schultz said it was “certainly a sign of support.”

“We know how much the community appreciates us and it's a mutual thing. We appreciate them very much,” he said.

Police officer and EMS prayers were read aloud, along with a reflection of what it means to be a firefighter. “Amazing Grace” was sung and Schultz noted the time when the World Trade Center was hit, how long it took for the twin towers to fall and how many lives were lost that day.

“It's those numbers that we should consider, and the significance of that and what it means,” he said. “It's for that reason that we come together this morning, to remember them, to never forget. Never forget what those events did to us.”

After a long moment of silence, a member of the fire department rang a silver bell in three sets, each with five tolls. It's the same sequence that is used when a firefighter dies in the line of duty.

The Wheaton ceremony was just one of many being held Friday in communities across DuPage County and the region.