Fragment From Ground Zero Dedicated In 9/11 Ceremony

Slowly. Carefully. Reverently. That's how firefighters in dress uniform  removed United States flags from a monument Sunday afternoon to unveil a twisted piece of steel.

The weather-beaten strip of metal, about four to five feet long, was salvaged from the Ground Zero rubble 10 years ago. It has been encased in stone, and, as of Sunday, forms part of the permanent 9/11 memorial in Ridgewood Cemetery at 9900 Milwaukee Avenue in Des Plaines, near Niles and Glenview.

Firefighters from North Maine Fire Protection District, who petitioned to obtain the relic, as well as officials from the Niles, Des Plaines and Park Ridge fire departments, Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan, Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman and others attended the dedication ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

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More than 200 people attended the ceremony, which featured speakers, the unveiling of the relic, an orchestra and a performance by singer/guitarist Joe Cantafio, who spent a couple of years after the 2001 tragedy playing musical tributes to the New York City firefighters who died trying to rescue victims.

Julie Lohrstorfer, a manager with SCI, which owns Ridgewood, and coordinator of the ceremony, acknowledged all those who had been involved with bringing the memorial to fruition. They included North Maine Fire Protection District's District Chief Mike Bronk, District Chief Mike Fox, Fire Marshall Arnold Witzke, Firefighter/Paramedic Nick Rusz, Firefighter Paramedic Greg Zaleski, Des Plaines Trustee Don Neal, herself (Julie Lohrstorfer), Ron Graeff, Ridgewood's general manager, and Rick Lohrstorfer, a funeral director and a member of DMORT, a federal team which responded to the 9/11 tragedy. remove human remains from Ground Zero, as well as comfort families who had lost loved ones.

After the unveiling of the metal fragment, which is mounted between two white pillars at the memorial, North Maine Fire Protection District Chief Rich Dubrowski spoke about those New York firefighters.

"What they did they did out of love," he commented, adding that, out of their commitment to humanity, they gave their lives to help perfect strangers.

"Mother Teresa once said, 'you can do no great things, only small things with great love,'" he observed. Speaking to first responders, he said, "Lead with your heart and you'll do the right thing always."

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