OAK LAWN, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Drive by and you might miss it.
Wedged between 95th Street and Museum Drive and behind the Metra Station, an installation that incorporates four, 22-foot beams of World Trade Center Steel.
"It is the actual steel from the collapse site. It's a pretty somber type of material to make your memorial out of it," said Chief Zachary Riddle, Oak Lawn.
Riddle said the village sent six police officers to New York City to assist with security at Ground Zero that week. Ten years later, some of the same officers returned to escort the 12 tons of steel back to Illinois.
"This memorial was placed there in 2011, from four steel beams that came from the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Three firefighters and three police officers went to the Port Authority of New York and escorted it here, where it was put into storage. The Rotary Club of Oak Lawn raised the funds for this memorial," he said.
"It's made of 12.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center."
Some pieces of concrete still remain in the beams, in others, sculptures of the faces of first responders, as well as everyday Americans caught up in the events of Sept. 11.
"Within the spires of two of these towers, are faces from first responders of 9/11, police officers, firefighters, also the construction that helped build and bring back the steel from this site. There are also Oak Lawn residents faces in this memorial as well, that posed for the sculptor, Eric Blome, and right around 2009-2010 so not only is it from New York City, but it also comes full circle to Oak Lawn and adds our own citizens," Riddle said.
A piece of one of the recovered beams also is displayed at the nearby children’s museum, directly east of the train station.
"It's a beautiful location. It does get the maximum amount of foot traffic, because that's what we want for the memorial. We want people not only to remember 9/11, but to remember the first responders that serve them every day in the village of Oak Lawn."
Riddle said 20 years ago, he was a young firefighter and like many of his generation, he'll never forget where he was and what he was doing on September 11, 2001. He hopes Oak Lawn's memorial will educate and remind the next generation of the sacrifices that were made by people and communities across the country.
"I remind all generations, in particular those born after 9/11, what the patriots did that day, the sacrifice that they gave, but also the service of all of our military in uniform, as well as police and fire from that and for them to choose a calling in their life that is centered around selfless service to where they can give back to the community or someone else. It's the greatest job in the world," Riddle said.
Oak Lawn will commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the 10th anniversary of the memorial at 8:45 a.m. at the Patriot Station memorial.
"What this does for first responders and firefighters in particular, it reminds us of what our duty is and that we have a loyalty to all citizens no matter what and that we will do anything possible to save their lives. This memorial not only commentates that, but also the police officers and the paramedics that lost their lives that day," Riddle said.
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