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CNN Live Today

Six Months to Date Commemorating 09-11, Victims Remembered

Aired March 11, 2002 - 12:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Six months to the date right now commemorating September 11th. A temporary memorial was dedicated to the victims today in New York City.

And Gary Tuchman was not only there back on September 12th, Gary, as I recall, the day after, but he's back again today to help us get through it again.

Gary, good afternoon.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bill, and I am reminded very strongly each time I have been at ground zero whether it was the very beginning or a few weeks later, or now on the six-month commemoration, to never in any way allow yourself to rationalize what happened here. Nineteen terrorists aboard four airplanes savagely killed thousands of people, and these people suffered greatly. You can't ever allow yourself to forget about that.

Behind me, ground zero, and it's a much different ground zero than we saw on September 11th, 2001, or even this past January or February, because 83 percent of rubble has now been removed, but it makes it all the more striking, knowing that it's so barren, relatively speaking, right now, and more than 2,000 people are still missing; 2,830 people perished here, and only 753 bodies have been recovered.

But work has gone on, relatively speaking, non-stop since this occurred on September 11th, but it paused for a half an hour today in commemoration that the times that the two planes, American Airlines flight 11 and United Airlines flight 175 slammed into the north and south towers respectively.

For 30 minutes, all the work stopped here at the site. So what's going to here at the site, no definite decisions have been made as of yet. Ultimately, it will be up to the mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, the governor of New York State George Pataki.

It's thought there will be a combination of retail and office space, and most definitely a memorial of some type, but a temporary memorial goes into place today. It's a memorial of light. Two beams of light will be shot into the sky. It's called the Tribute in Light. Eighty-eight huge spotlights, each spotlight 7,000 watts. Considering that a light bulb you use in your house may be 50 or 60 watts, you are talking about something 140,000 times more powerful than your light bulb, and there will be 88 of them. It will be able to be seen for a 20-mile radius, and they say that the astronauts in the international space station will be able to see these two lights in the sky.

The two beams of course are supposed represent the two towers that stood here, but came down so tragically on September 11th six months ago.

Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: Jerry, a number of questions here. I, too, had the unfortunate assignment back in mid September to spend about four weeks there at ground zero with you and many others. A couple of things I am noticing there at ground zero, I think we can take a high-angle camera here. One is this enormous ramp that's been erected. I don't know how much you know about that.

But the other thing I noticed, the company logos in signs that are now circling the area at ground zero. I saw a Brooks Brothers sign a short time ago. What do you know about that as well, Gary?

TUCHMAN: We've noticed that too, Bill, and it's very interesting. We look back behind us, and we do see all those signs. But another thing we noticed still are the U.S. flags that are still flying all over the place. We see them on the fences down there. We see them on the buildings. There is still a very patriotic feeling here near ground zero. People have really banded together since this happened on September 11th, not that they had banded together and worked patriotic beforehand, but certainly that patriotism, we see it throughout the nation, because we travel, covering many stories. We see more American flags than ever.

But here in New York City, there is certainly no shortage of American flags, the red, white and blue flying everywhere -- Bill.

HEMMER: Hey, Gary, much reaction to the CBS program last night. Did many people watch it there?

TUCHMAN: It was funny, Bill. I watched the program myself. And after it ended, at 11:00 Eastern Time, I took a walk here around ground zero. It was very quiet. And I got to the farthest point as a member of the news media, and I talked to a couple of people who had just walked out after spending a 10-hour shift working at ground zero, and I asked them, if they were going to watch it, and obviously, they were working between 09:00 and 11:00, and the two gentlemen told me that their wives had taped it for them in their VCRs, that it's something they very much wanted to see.

And I got an impression today, after talking to a couple of people today, who did see it, that it has renewed their sense of purpose in working out here, because everyone knows the story of what happened.

But until you saw the firemen in there, until you heard the screams, until you heard the horrible sound of the thud when people's bodies fell after jumping, and I still think about that to this day, Bill, how horrible it must have been up there for the only alternative to be jump out of that building.

But hearing that thud of those body's falling, it sounded like an explosion when each body fell. It just renewed the feeling of just how horrible this all was.

HEMMER: Thank you, Gary. We'll talk later today.

Gary Tuchman there, live at ground zero for us.

September 11th also being remembered overseas in other countries. The Harbor bridge in Sydney, the site of one especially poignant memorial. Twenty-six New York City police officers and firefighters climbed to the top of that bridge, saluted the U.S. flag, bowed their heads and paused for a moment of silence. They and their families are on a trip sponsored by Australia's government and tourism industry. Remember, hundreds of non-U.S. citizens, including 15 Australians did die in the attacks of 09-11.

President Bush today also recalled "the horror and the heroism," in his words, of September 11th. He paid tribute to the victims at a special ceremony, South Lawn of the White House. It was quite a site. Earlier today, Major Garrett on the Front Lawn of the White House, joins us live with more.

Major, good afternoon.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. You know, a dominant theme of the six-month ceremony here at the White House was to thank coalition partners for all that they have done so far on war on terrorism, and all that President Bush hopes they will do in future.

One of the reasons the White House wanted to embrace coalition partners so visibly, so symbolically -- you see the flags arrayed on the South Lawn -- was because they now acknowledge that when the president gave his State of the Union Address in January, talking about that "axis of evil," that speech unnerved many key coalition partners, because they though the president was opening a new front in the war on terrorism without sufficiently consulting with them first.

They don't disagree with the underlying theme about making sure that terrorists do not acquire weapons of mass destruction; they just would have preferred to hear a little bit more about it in advance. So the White House was very careful with this ceremony to talk about all the things that coalition partners have done, and the president hopes will do in the future. The president was also careful to say that terrorism that arrived in America on September 11th was not the first blow given and delivered by terrorists, that many other nations had absorbed terrorist blows, but 9-11 was the day the world changed its attitudes about how to fight and cope with global terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: September 11th was not the beginning of global terror, but it was the beginning of the world's concerted response. History will know that day not only as a day of tragedy, but as a day of decision, when the civilized world was stirred to anger and to action, and the terrorists will remember September 11th as the day their reckoning began.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Bill, the president also said that the civilized world must remained vigilant, because until global terrorism is defeated, every nation is a potential target. There is no immunity, therefore, the president said, there can be no neutrality.

The president also took pains to paint a brighter picture if in fact global terrorism is defeated. The president said many ancient conflicts that have been bedeviled by terrorism or reprisals could be viewed in a different light once the specter of terrorism had been removed. That was another signal to the coalition partners of what the stakes are, and why they should stay involved -- Bill.

HEMMER: Major Garrett, thanks. Major Garrett at the White House there.

GARRETT: Also 189 people killed at the Pentagon six months ago today. The Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld this morning honoring those victims and those countries involved in the current war.

Bob Franken, live outside of the Pentagon, a familiar post that we remember quite well back in mid-September, seeing you there again.

Bob, good afternoon.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.

And of course, back then, the flames were shooting. They did for several days, after American Airlines flights 77 had crashed into the wall which ultimately collapsed just a short while later. But as you can see, it's almost a miracle in the minds of many that there has been such a quick repair, a quick repair that has been really the result of the intense motivation of the construction workers.

Even when they are given a break, they oftentimes don't want to take it, because there is such a spirit that they want to in fact reconstruct this building so it is ready by next September 11th, that it is in fact operating again as the rest of the Pentagon did without taking a beat. And Secretary Rumsfeld was there this morning displaying the work for some representatives of 29 countries that are part of the coalition right now, and reminding them that name of this project is, very appropriately, operation phoenix.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECY. OF DEFENSE: From the ashes, hope springs. With the coming of spring, the Pentagon building is rising, and thanks to the truly outstanding effort of workers, repairs are ahead of schedule. Indeed, from the outside, the building looks like it is almost new. I just visited the site a few minutes ago to mark the progress that has been made in these past six months.

If one thinks back, our world as changed a great deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And, of course, one of the changes is the role of the United States military in the ongoing war against terrorism, a war that is still being fought in the mountains of Afghanistan. And even though there seems to be sign of another victory, the United States, according to the secretary, will continue to have an expanded role.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUMSFELD: The U.S. will stay very much in charge. At the present time, there is a larger number than you've suggested, and equal, roughly equal number, of coalition forces and Afghan forces. And that work will continue. Some people may leave, and others will go in, but it will continue until its completed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: A reminder that even when the pause on this six-month commemoration to mark September 11th, fighting continues without a pause in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the building when you see behind me is not just a memorial to horrors of terrorism, but also a memorial to the defiance of the United States, which will not be beaten down, says everybody in charge, by the terrorists -- Bill.

HEMMER: Bob, at the beginning, you point out a very good race there, a construction race of time. Will they make it before September? What are you hearing?

FRANKEN: Well, we're hearing that they are hell bent do it, to use the expression that they always use. It should be pointed out that at the moment, they're ahead of schedule. If you know anything about Pentagon procurement and Pentagon projects, that is astounding, if not historical.

HEMMER: Ahead of schedule is a very good thing at this point. Bob, thanks. Bob Franken there, outside of the Pentagon.

The passengers and crew of United Airlines flight 93 are being remembered today as heroes as well. They gave their lives to help prevent an even greater tragedy six months ago.

David Mattingly now in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Somerset County, southeast of Pittsburgh, with more from there.

David, good afternoon.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.

After six months of mourning in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, it got very personal today. Without fanfare and without any speeches, family members of some of the victims and crew of United flight 93 came here to shed tears and place flowers, some coming for the first time to this site where there love ones died at 10:06, the morning of September 11th. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I loved him dearly. And there are no words for me to express my anger to these people. They have (UNINTELLIGIBLE) emotional support, treated us like family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: The town of Shanksville, the 240 or so people who live there, of course profoundly impacted by what happened here on September 11th, as well as the constant attention they've received in the last six months. Also affected deeply are the people who come to visit here at this temporary memorial site, hundreds every weekend, many of them leaving something behind on this chain-link fence, in some way hoping to connect to the passengers and crew of United flight 93.

Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: David, on Friday of the end of last week, we were talking to some surviving family members. I was curious to know if the people in Pennsylvania feel that they've been overlooked somewhat by the events of the Pentagon and certainly that enormous tragedy in lower Manhattan. Did you get a sense of that or not?

MATTINGLY: From a national perspective, it might seem like they have been overlooked by the national media. But the people here say they get calls every day, so they do not feel as though they have been overlooked. In fact, some of them say they would welcome getting a little less attention in the future.

HEMMER: What's happened to that crater, David, where that plane went down at about 500 miles an hour upon impact?

MATTINGLY: Well, ground zero here in Shanksville is about a quarter of mile that way from us. We have a very clear view of it from here.

But it doesn't look anything at all like it did on September 11th. We had that impact crater, and we had smoke coming out of it. Today, the pit has been filled in. You would almost never know there had been a crash here.

HEMMER: I heard an interview that you did several hours ago, where somebody said, when they went in to investigate that particular crater, it was almost as if the passengers had gotten off the plane, simply because they found no human remains inside that field.

MATTINGLY: They did find human remains, but the destruction was so complete that it was very difficult to find what was there.

HEMMER: All right, David. David Mattingly, Shansksville, Pennsylvania.

Thank you, David.

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