Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Canadians and Americans Unite This Memorial Day Weekend to Honor Victims of 09-11

Aired May 27, 2002 - 05:24   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Canadians and Americans united this Memorial Day weekend to honor the victims of September 11. A special monument was unveiled in Sumas, Washington. It's a gift from our Canadian neighbors.

CTV reporter Hazel McClemmet (ph) reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAZEL MCCLEMMET, CTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Sumas border crossing, Canadians and Americans stood side by side in remembrance. Police, firefighters, military and other emergency personnel from Canada crossed the border for a special Memorial Day service for the victims of September 11.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us also remember the heroes of the day, the police and the firefighters who gave their all. Those brave men and women, without regard to their own safety, rushed into those crumbling towers to protect and to save those they had never met.

MCCLEMMET: The guest of honor, Brian O'Flaherty, a New York City firefighter brought in to unveil a memorial to those who died in the attacks.

BRIAN O'FLAHERTY: There isn't a day that goes by that I do not think or dream of the events of September 11. I always remember those friends of mine who did not come home on that day. I usually remember them and their families and then say a short prayer in my own special way.

MCCLEMMET: The marble towers are a gift from several Fraser Valley groups, including police and firefighters. O'Flaherty says the Canadian effort to honor their American counterparts will help in the healing process.

O'FLAHERTY: This is really a surprise and a great tribe that they've done at the Sumas border, you know, cooperation between the, you know, Canadian firefighters, police and also the United States side. So it's wonderful.

MCCLEMMET: For those who've come to watch and remember, the message is simple -- Canadians and Americans may have their differences, but in times of trouble we stand together. Hazel McClemmet, CTV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com