Page 46 - October 2021

The drive to be there for 9/11 Lodge 7 members make the journey with new trailer to serve
first responders and commemorate the 20th anniversary
Lodge 7 members Steve Olsen, David DiSanti, Dan Gorman and John Catanzara, Illinois FOP Trustee Phil Tenerelli, Illinois FOP President Chris Southwood and Lodge 7 members Monica Ortiz and Marikay O’Brien with a survivor of the 9/11 attacks, center holding flag, on the 20th anniversary.
n BY ROSEMARY AN
Lodge 7 Second Vice President Dan Gorman’s first impression of New York City suggested similarities to Chicago. The narrow streets gave the aesthetic of Old Town, while the storefronts re- minded him of State Street. When he arrived late on Sept. 10, barricades with metal fences stretched for four miles from the World Trade Center.
“I wondered if that was normal or if that was all set there be- cause there were former presidents in town for the 9/11 cere- mony,” Gorman recalled. “There were a lot of police officers out on the street. The way they stood, talked, dressed, all profes- sional. I was impressed.”
For the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, more than a doz- en Lodge 7 and Illinois FOP members crossed borders and cul- tures to experience a commemoration that provided a full tilt of emotion. They brought the new trailer in an unprecedented journey to law enforcement mecca that resulted in a weekend of celebration, remembrance and appreciation for first respond- ers and citizens who will never forget that day.
“I don’t think you need to even be sworn to grasp the delicate nature of life,” said Lodge 7 President John Catanzara. “From the poor souls in the tower who went to work just like every oth- er day and then were trapped and helpless, to the police and
46 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2021
fire, whose lives changed in the blink of an eye.”
Days before the anniversary, Catanzara picked up the FOP’s
brand-new food service trailer to have it cleaned and ready for the journey. On Sept. 10, he headed to New York City in the trail- er with trustees Steve Olsen and David DiSanti, as well as Green Bay Wisconsin Lodge 2 Second Vice President Randy Winkler. O’Brien took a flight to New York with Gorman, Lodge 7 Finan- cial Secretary Jim Jakstavich and Monica Ortiz, a Lodge 7 trust- ee. The state lodge contingent included President Chris South- wood, Lodge 263 President Scot Ward and Trustee Phil Tenerelli, among others, who came in the Corrections Lodge 263 trailer.
The officers checked in to a hotel near the World Trade Center and had just a few hours of sleep before waking up at 7 a.m. to start serving food to the first responders working the anniver- sary events. Catanzara was able to secure a parking spot for the trailer just one block from Ground Zero.
“I don’t know how he did that,” Gorman praised. “He’d ar- ranged for it to be parked where we could work and serve police officers, firemen and Gold Star families.”
Catanzara wanted to bring a taste of Chicago to the first re- sponders. He received a donation of 1,500 buns from Alpha Baking Company, as well as a partial donation and steep dis- count from Christ Panos Foods for chicken, sausage, beef, hot giardiniera and juice. The featured food, Chicago’s signature