Garry McCarthy, former Chicago top cop, shares September 11 memories
CHICAGO - Park Ridge is one of many communities across America that is marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
A remembrance ceremony was held Friday morning in front of city hall. Officials say they did it today so that grade school children could participate.
The keynote speak, Garry McCarthy, was the New York Police Department’s second-in-command when the planes hit the World Trade Center.
McCarthy shared some of his memories of the day on Good Day Chicago on Friday.
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"Probably the two most indelible things was first I got there just as the second plane hit the South Tower and a police officer over the radio transmitted and said, 'notify the military, we need air cover. We're under attack,'" McCarthy said. "And as deputy commissioner, I kind of looked at the radio and said, 'I don't think we can do that.' And it was helpless feeling and that kind of stands out."
"But the second thing was there came a point when I was standing in City Hall Park and we heard planes and we knew that all planes in the country had been grounded. And in a millisecond, I saw two F-16's going wing tip to wing tip up the Hudson River in between the buildings. And I had three thoughts, 'oh my God, more incoming' to 'oh, thank God they're ours' to 'oh my God, the military is protecting New York City.'"
Suburban Aurora intends to have a public ceremony to honor six of its firefighters who went to Ground Zero after the attack.
The ceremony will start Saturday at 7:45 a.m. at the River Edge Park Bridge and the firefighters are scheduled to be in attendance.
They spent four days in New York helping with rescue and recovery.
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La Grange is asking businesses to remember the victims of 9/11.
The businesses will place two candles in their windows on Friday. The candles represent the Twin Towers.
Restaurants will have a set table kept empty to honor those killed.