The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park will host a “Heroes of 9/11” dedication ceremony on Wednesday, September 11, unveiling a permanent outdoor exhibit comprised of two structural steel beams from the former World Trade Center buildings in New York. The memorial pays tribute to those lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and honors the first responders who served that day and serve currently in our own communities.
The 30-minute public ceremony begins at 4:30 pm. Limited seating will be available, and Cantigny’s regular parking fee will be waived after 3 pm.
Patrick Maloney, battalion chief of the Chicago Fire Department, will offer remarks at the dedication, and bagpipers from the Firefighter’s Highland Guard of Naperville will perform. At the end of the ceremony, guests will have an opportunity to tie a blue ribbon to the cable surrounding the beams—a collective gesture of remembrance and resolve never to forget.
The beams—one of them notably twisted—were acquired by the First Division Museum in 2012 and exhibited indoors several times in recent years. They are now placed outside the museum, near the front entrance and adjacent to the “Duty First” gallery.
“This memorial is unique within our community because it immediately links the attack on the World Trade Center to stories of 1st Infantry Division men and women who answered the military call of duty,” said Krewasky Salter, First Division Museum executive director.
“The beams offer a tangible reminder that our country went to war because of 9/11, and that our soldiers are still deployed around the globe engaged in War on Terrorism missions.”
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About the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park
The First Division Museum, part of Robert R. McCormick Foundations, interprets military history through the lens of the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division. The museum’s main exhibit hall, First in War, transports visitors to the trenches of World War I, the beaches of World War II and the jungles of Vietnam. The Duty First gallery is dedicated to the Division’s activities since Vietnam, including the unit’s current missions around the world. Outside, tanks are displayed from every era, along with artillery pieces and a personnel carrier. The Robert R. McCormick Research Center, open to the public, houses the museum’s library, archival and photo collections. For more information, visit fdmuseum.org.