09/11/2026
🇺🇸 WE WILL NEVER FORGET 🇺🇸
September 11, 2001
There are some days in our lives that we remember exactly where we were, exactly what we were doing, and exactly how we felt.
September 11, 2001, is one of those days.
I was working here at the Colona Police Department that morning.
I arrived at work and, shortly afterward, received a phone call from then-Chief Ernie Manrrique. He told me he was still at home watching the news because a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. He said he would be coming in soon.
Then he called back.
His voice had changed.
“Laura, put the TV on in the PD and have the officers come in and watch. There’s been a second plane hit. This isn’t good. I’m on my way in.”
We rolled a television into the department and gathered around a banquet table, glued to the news coverage.
And we watched in disbelief as the attacks on our country unfolded before our eyes.
New York.
The Pentagon.
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
We were scared. We were shocked. We didn’t know what was happening or what was coming next. We didn’t know who was attacking our country or what might happen in the hours ahead.
Chief Manrrique soon arrived and joined us.
Gary Sutton, former East Moline Police Chief and then Director of the Mobile Team Police Training Center, and a close friend of Chief Manrrique, also joined us around that table.
We sat together as law enforcement officers, friends, and Americans.
We bonded in shock.
We bonded in fear.
And we bonded in patriotism.
In the days that followed, something remarkable happened.
Our country came together.
I have never seen anything quite like it.
The very next day, community member Mick Painter came to the Police Department and cooked hot dogs on a grill in the parking lot for lunch. Community members and some of our Aldermen stopped by. We gathered together, shared a meal, and said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Flags were flying from nearly every home.
Neighbors looked out for neighbors.
Strangers became friends.
We were hurting, but we were united.
All commercial flights had been grounded, and the skies were eerily quiet. Yet every time we stepped outside, we found ourselves looking up at the sky—fearful of what we might see.
Twenty-five years later, I can still remember that feeling.
I can still remember sitting around that table.
I can still remember the fear.
But most of all, I remember the unity, courage, patriotism, and overwhelming love for our country that followed.
Today, we remember the nearly 3,000 innocent lives lost on September 11th. We remember the families who lost loved ones. We remember the firefighters, police officers, EMTs, military members, and ordinary citizens who showed extraordinary courage.
And we remember the days that followed—when Americans stood together and reminded the world that even in our darkest moments, we are stronger when we stand united.
We made a promise then:
We will never forget.
And I haven’t.
🇺🇸 September 11, 2001 — We Remember. We Honor. We Will Never Forget. 🇺🇸
— Laura L.
Administrative Secretary
Colona Police Department
