MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — On Monday, the United States will mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

A stark reminder of those attacks was delivered to Muskegon’s USS Silversides Submarines Museum on Wednesday.

That morning, in a parking lot just off I-96 in Walker, rain splashed down on the pavement as members of the Patriot Guard Riders waited for their latest escort assignment.

“I served in the U.S. Army. I’m proud to do this. I’m proud to be an American. I’m proud to have served,” Patriot Guard Riders State Capt. Mike Meyers said. “And for me, rain or shine, we’re going to be here and do it.”

Minutes later, a trailer arrived. Inside, protected from the weather, were two pieces of heavy steel that — 22 years ago — were part of the structure that held together the 110-story North Tower of the World Trade Center.

“Our organization, the American Legion and others that are here today to do this escort all feel that patriotism, that recognition of those lives lost and the democracy that we love in are all pretty important,” Meyers said.

With that, the Patriot Guard Riders, with help from Michigan State Police and others, began the 38-mile rain-soaked trip to Muskegon and the USS Silversides Museum.

But as they arrived at the Silversides Museum, home to the USS Silversides Gato-class World War II-era submarine, the sky began to clear.

Members of the Muskegon Fire Department, who lost 343 New York City Fire Department brother firefighters on Sept. 11, 2001, rolled the pieces off the trailer.

“It will be a focal point to our Patriots’ Day exhibit, which focuses on the response of our first responders from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks,” USS Silversides Submarine Museum Executive Director Bethann Egan said.

The idea is to reach the generations that came after 9/11.

“We want to invite children to come out, have parents have those tough conversations, but in a really meaningful way and in a kid-friendly way,” Egan said.

Sanborn’s Jewelers of Muskegon donated $10,000 to bring the temporary exhibit, which is on loan from the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn, Illinois, to Muskegon.

Named We the People, the exhibit will focus not just on what happened, but also on the future.

“There are going to be tragedies in the next generations to come,” Egan said. “How do we prepare them for that? How do we show them, this is how we handle it? How are you going to handle it? That’s an important conversation for us to start having.”

The exhibit will remain on display at the Silversides Museum until June 2024.