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CNN Live Today

Interview With Dennis Smith

Aired March 22, 2002 - 13:49   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: The current stage of recovery at the World Trade Center site yielding a number of victims' bodies. Some are those of police and firefighters killed in the attack of September 11. Former New York Firefighter captain Dennis Smith volunteered at the recovery site for three months time. He also recently completed his 10th book, "Report From Ground Zero." He is with us right now. Good afternoon to you.

I wish we could talk about other things, but I think in a sense, for the rescue workers still working there at ground zero, this is, in a different way, good news knowing that they're finding remains after all. That is why they have been there 24 hours a day for the better part of the past six months.

DENNIS SMITH, FORMER NEW YORK FIREFIGHTER: Well, every time they find somebody, it is something to be joyful about. When I found out that they found so many yesterday, you know, the first thought in my mind to people like John Vigiano (ph) and Dennis O'Berg (ph) and Billy Butler, those people who have been working down there every day since 9/11 and who have lost their sons, tremendous consolation, you know, in the hearts of these families to find their loved one like this. And when they don't find it, it's, you know, there is a sort of unanswered, worrisome, unended, unresolved issue in their lives. And Giuliani said we're going to be there until the last stone is unturned. And, you know, that is only six or eight weeks away.

HEMMER: That's right. In May, they think the clean-up could be completed. Listen, we're told that they are finding a number of remains where the South Tower once stood. I am told that about a six- story pile of rubble and debris still sits in that section of the former World Trade Center site. Why is it that this place was so difficult to get to and is cleared out last? Do you know?

SMITH: Yes, I do know, because they -- well, first of all, every floor is represented by about 18 inches. And that was true of all the piles that we've been working on since 9/11. And they built a roadway going down into the site.

HEMMER: And we can see here actually in the live picture.

SMITH: And the roadway -- that roadway was over the footprint of the South Tower. And so, a lot of these folks that they are finding now, these victims were in the lobby at the time. And so I guess they are now at the lobby and they will be going down there, of course, six levels below that lobby as well. But I would imagine that they will fine most of the remains of the victims just about where they are now.

HEMMER: And with all due respect to the families who may be watching this program. I understand that a lot of the remains are not in good shape. Is there a way to identify at this point, and how are they doing it?

SMITH: Well, there are still 16,000 body parts that are -- have been sent for DNA evaluation. And there -- you can tell firefighters. You can tell by their clothing and by their helmets, police officers by their badges and their guns. It is a very difficult thing. But, you know, of the 343 firefighters who have been killed, we've found less than half.

HEMMER: You touched on it in your first answer. Describe for us the mood, the atmosphere, when a body is found, draped in an American flag and then carried out.

SMITH: Well, you know, Lee Ielpe (ph), who lost a son, Jonathan there and who's really one of the stalwart workers since 9/11, every day down there, and you find two or three or four people down there. And he is just -- he is just so filled with, you know, spark. And he says, boy, what a great day because he understands. They just found his son two months ago. His son was lost for four months.

And it gives a sense -- one woman told me about her son who was lost. They found him in January. But she said, when it rained, it was particularly painful because she knew that her son was down there unprotected in that rain. And it's different from being in a contained graveyard where there is respect and a sort of a lying in formality. But when you find somebody there, it's a joy.

HEMMER: We've been led to believe that once they got to this location of ground zero, that indeed they would find quite a number of remains. That was the hope anyway. And, apparently, that has panned out.

SMITH: Well, they found, of course, you know, Chief Burns who was the commander at that site. They lost Chief Gantsy (ph) and Chief Fiend (ph) who were out in the front.

HEMMER: And they also found the only female police officer too, the first one to respond and signal the first 911 call.

SMITH: Yes. Margo (ph) Smith.

HEMMER: Yes, that's right. Dennis, thank you. I appreciate you coming in.

SMITH: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: ... and your book as well. Dennis Smith, again, we'll talk again, all right.

SMITH: Thank you so much.

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