College of DuPage to commemorate 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
The largest attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 left an indelible mark on U.S. history. Join College of DuPage leaders as they commemorate the 20th anniversary of an event that forever changed the nation, remember the lives lost and honor the heroic spirit of first responders and civilians at "9/11 20 Years Later: Our Community Remembers."
The ceremony will be presented from the college's Robert J. Miller Homeland Security Education Center at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, via livestream on the College of DuPage Facebook page.
Learn more about the event at www.cod.edu/911/.
The commemoration includes reflections from COD President Dr. Brian Caputo, COD Homeland Security Training Institute (HSTI) Director Tom Brady, DuPage County Sherriff James Mendrick and Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief Jim Sisson. Flowers also will be lain on the 1,000-pound beam section from the World Trade Center that is housed at the HEC.
As one of only a few educational institutions nationwide selected to receive a relic from the twin towers, Dr. Caputo said that the permanent memorial to the attacks serves as a tangible piece of history for students, faculty, staff and community members.
"The beam is a symbol of our resilience and our capacity to endure our darkest moments and overcome them," he said. "We have an obligation as a community to remember and respect with gratitude those who died as well as the difficult but important history of 9/11."
Providing his insights from Ground Zero, Mike Fagel, who spent 100 days sifting through the rubble, will present "Remembering 9/11: Personal Reflections from Ground Zero" at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 10. Through insights, personal stories, artifacts and photos from his experience, Fagel also will discuss the toll his Ground Zero work has had on his mental and physical health. The presentation will be livestreamed at www.cod.edu/911. Fagel is a Certified Emergency Manager and Department of Justice 9/11 Task Force member.
"It's hard to capture the right words, but I think about 9/11 every single day of my life," he said. "The annual 9/11 memorial at COD is absolutely critical as it allows people to pause and reflect to keep the memories alive of those lives lost."
COD is gathering stories from across the community to help capture the diverse perspective of that tragic day. Share your reflections for inclusion on the COD website at cod.edu/911/story.aspx. Describe where were you on 9/11, and how learned about the attacks? How did the people around you react to the attacks? And over the past 20 years, what details or memories most stand out?
The Homeland Security Training Institute at College of DuPage is focused on education for law enforcement, fire science, first responders and corporate security personnel in the area of homeland security. Together with the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, Homeland Security Training Institute sets the bar for education of today's current and future generations of emergency responders, private sector security professionals, school administrators, support staff and police officers.