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Town of Beloit Fire Department to unveil twin towers beam |
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Written by Dan Plutchak
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Thursday, 08 September 2011 08:41 |
The memorial at the Town of Beloit Fire Department to the victims of 9/11 is covered until a ceremony planned for Sept. 11, 1011. The memorial features a twisted beam pulled from the collapsed World Trade Center, along with two granite slabs representing the twin towers. Dennis Hines/staff.
(This story also will appear in Sunday's Stateline News)
BELOIT TOWNSHIP — Up close, the twisted bolts in the beam that once supported the World Trade Center reveal the destructive power unleashed as the building collapsed.
On Sunday at the Town of Beloit Fire Department, the evidence of that terrible day will be revealed during a ceremony unveiling a new memorial to the victims of 9/11.
Officials are honoring the 10-year anniversary by displaying a twisted beam pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York.
The fire department has established a memorial in front of Fire Station No.1, located at 2445 S. Afton Road in the town of Beloit. The memorial includes a plaque and two steel beams from the twin towers. The department will conduct a dedication ceremony for the memorial at 8:15 a.m. Sunday (Sept. 11) at the fire station.
Assistant Fire Chief Gene Wright Jr. said the memorial not only honors the firefighters and police officers who died while responding to the attacks but also the people who were inside the World Trade Center during the time of the incident.
“There were a lot of people killed,” Wright said. “We just wanted to put something up just to remember what (the responders) did for people.”
Fire Chief Dennis Ahrens said he is pleased that the department has established a memorial to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the attacks.
“I think it will honor the people who lost their lives during 9/11,” Ahrens said. “We just want to memorialize the victims. I was understanding of (the department’s) willingness to do this, and I support this effort.”
The fire department received the steel beams about six months ago. Wright said the fire department determined that the best use for the beams was to establish a 9/11 memorial.
“The fire department is really big into tradition. We do a lot of things that are traditional,” Wright said. “Our equipment is traditional. (The beams) came into a way for us to hold close to us what those guys sacrificed in that building.”
The department has been working to obtain the beams for about two years. Wright said the fire department learned that the beams where available from a friend of one of firefighter’s wives. Wright said the beams had to be examined for evidence before they were released to the department.
“Being that all that building is evidence, they had to get it all cleared to be able to release it,” Wright said. “So it took us about two years to get that done.”
The beams are about four feet by three feet in length and weigh about 500 pounds. Wright said the beams were transported to the department by a trucking company.
“Actually, they didn’t even know what they were transporting,” Wright said. “They knew it was a big piece of metal, so they didn’t even have an idea of what it was until it got here.”
Wright said, during the past few months, the beams have been stored in a garage at the station. He said firefighters did not want to make the beams known to the public until the department determined how they would be used. He said now that the memorial is erected, he hopes residents will have an opportunity to view the beams.
“It wasn’t like we’ve been hiding it from anybody. We haven’t publicized it, because we weren’t sure how we were going to display it. Now that we have (decided), we’re hoping that the public wants to come out and see it,” Wright said. “We have it someplace where people will be able to view it and see it. If you can’t make it to New York to see the site, at least we have a piece of it here that people can come and see or drop a flower by it or just to remember what this country has been through.”
Ahrens said he is pleased that the department was able to obtain pieces of the World Trade Center, so they can honor the 9/11 victims.
“It’s an honor to get something like that,” Ahrens said. “It, basically, honors the victims of the attack on the twin towers.”
Wright said the memorial also honors the people who currently are serving in the military.
“To me, it’s humbling to know where those pieces have been and what they symbolize,” Wright said. “We have people who are on this department and the police department who served in the military and spent time in Iraq, fighting for not only our freedom but for the freedom of those countries that are dealing with this. I have two sons in the service, and (the memorial) is a symbol of what this country has been through.”
Wright said several local businesses have assisted the fire department with building the memorial.
“We’ve had a lot of donations from area businesses. The concrete has been donated. The work to put it together, our firefighters in conjunction with some of the construction companies in the area have done that,” Wright said. “The brackets that had to be specifically built to put it together were donated.
The day of the (dedication ceremony), we have some refreshments that will be donated. So there’s been a lot of people who have stepped up and given to this (memorial), so the community has really shown support for what we’re doing.”
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