Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Victims of 9/11 in Pennsylvania Remembered; Former First Lady Laura Bush Delivers Remarks in Shanksville; First Lady Michelle Obama Honors Memory of Those on Flight 93; The Story of Simon Hamdani: A 9/11 Hero

Aired September 11, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Coming up on the top of the hour, now. Let's take you back to New York City. We are coming up on yet another moment of silence. It will be the third one we've seen out of New York, today.

As you see this reflecting pool, people leaving notes, people leaving roses there, as well. This is at Ground Zero. But, in just about 60 seconds from now, we're going to see another moment of silence. This one will observe when the South Tower fell. The South Tower was the second to be hit, but the first one to fall. The South Tower was hit around 9:03 a.m., that morning, and there it was less than an hour later, it was coming down.

You're seeing the live pictures. Family members are gathered there and we see this every year, as we often do, people carrying signs and pictures, pictures of their loved ones who died on that day. You're seeing there now live what happens every year as well since 9/11. They have family members paired up who will go up and read the names, every single name of those killed there that day, 2,752 names will be read, today. This takes several hours during the day. It's a painstaking task, but it is a task worth taking.

And these two -- and you see here -- let me listen in, he's actually making some comments besides just reading the names. Let's observe this moment of silence, here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am proud to represent Local 46 Ironworkers building the memorial.

(BELL RINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The great poet Langston Hughes told us to hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow.

NEIL PETTITTE, BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: My name is Neal Pettitte, brother of New York City police officer Glen Pettitte, who perished in the South Tower. Glen had many accomplishments in his short life. He was a volunteer fireman, an avid photographer and videographer, and even received an Emmy for his accomplishments. Glen's true love was being a police officer with his camera on his shoulder. He truly enjoyed helping others and giving back to his community. Let's not remember his life by his accomplishments but remember him for who he really was, the memory that he left in our hearts.

What our family will always remember about glen was his bright blue eyes, his big Irish smile, and his practical jokes. We will never forget the sacrifice you made that day. We are your brothers from Lakeland fire departments, Ron Conkima (ph), firefighters Peter Brennan, Billy Mahoney, James Amato, Lieutenant John Napolitano, and Chief Larry Stack.

My family started a foundation in glen's name. We are able to give out scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are entering college, to help others just as Glen was always doing.

Glen, may the sun shine upon your face, may the wind always be at your back. And until we meet again, may god hold you in the palm of his hand. I love you. We miss you, and we will definitely never forget.

(APPLAUSE)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: From the poem Ulysses by Tennyson -- Ulysses was imagined by the poet as he stood on the highest ground and looked back over his life. "Though much is taken, much abides, and though we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are, one equal temper of heroic hearts made weak by time and faith but strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." God bless you.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: We have been listening to a couple of readings from the former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, and also the current governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, with those readings. Of course Mayor Giuliani was so visible. A lot of people gave him credit for his efforts on 9/11, helping that city mourn and recover and help it along the way.

As we see, these two pairings that will take place throughout the morning of people reading every single name of those who were killed. Mayor Giuliani was speaking right after a man by the name of Neil Pettitte.

I want to share this live picture with you. These are families gathered down there at Ground Zero. It is always so moving to see these pictures that they always bring and hold them up during the ceremonies, people remembering those that died, their family members, loved ones, their friends.

But again, Neil Pettitte sharing the story of his brother, Flen, who died in the South Tower, a police officer who died in the South Tower. And 23 New York police officers were killed in those attacks, but 343 firefighters were killed in the attacks that day. We just saw the third of four moments of silence that we are going to see at the ceremony in New York. This third one was in observance of the South Tower falling. The South Tower was the second to be hit by a plane but the first to fall.

We will be taking you back there and dipping back into that ceremony. And certainly we will be observing that moment of silence with those folks in New York and the rest of the country.

A couple of other ceremonies taking place together. We just saw one a moment ago at the Pentagon. The president was there and left a breath at the memorial at the Pentagon. He also had these words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: For a nation, this is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection, and with god's grace, a day of unity and renewal. We gather to remember this sacred hour on hallowed ground, the places where we feel such grief and where our healing goes on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: That was President Obama just a few moments ago at the Pentagon, the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed. Many of those were working that day at the Pentagon. But that is where a plane went into that Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.

Now, President Bush, people remember of course he was the one who was leading this country at the time. He was on duty when 9/11 happened, and he was a part to make the decisions in how this country reacted to 9/11 from Iraq to Afghanistan as well.

But we did get a statement from him this morning, the former president issuing this statement. I am quoting it for you, short statement, but it says, "On September 11th, 2001, Americans awoke to evil on our shores. On this solemn day of remembrance, Laura and I hold the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers. We recall the many acts of heroism on that day and we honor those who worked tirelessly to prevent another attack. May god bless our great country and those who defend her."

The president who, after 9/11, immediately afterwards, enjoyed soaring approval ratings. The president did get a lot of credit for how he did come out and bring the country together in a lot of ways. And a lot of people will remember that moment immediately after 9/11 when the president was at Ground Zero and put his arm around the firefighters saying the people who brought down these towers will hear from all of us soon. A lot of people will remember that moment.

But you hear from the former president putting on a statement today. You will be hearing from his wife today, the former first lady participating in an event happening in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the former first lady Laura Bush along with the current first lady Michelle Obama will be speaking at the ceremonies there. We will bring that to you live as it happens. The ceremony is certainly underway right now, but we will try to dip in and hear from the current first lady, Michelle Obama, when she begins to speak. But Shanksville, Pennsylvania is where one plane went down, the plane that did not get to its intended target.

Many of you know that story and know it well of the passengers overtaking the terrorists aboard that flight and diverting it and taking it down rather than having it reach its intended target that day. That was United Airlines flight 43, 40 people killed aboard.

And also back in New York City, 10:28, the next moment of silence we are going to mark is going to mark the fall of the North Tower. We will take you back there for that as we continue to hear the names being read this morning.

Meanwhile, we do have our reporters with us this morning. Our Susan Candiotti in New York, our Barbara Starr in Washington, D.C. Barbara was at the Pentagon on this day nine years ago.

But Susan, let me turn to you first. And it's always so moving to me to see the people in the crowd there in New York who often have the pictures, those big pictures and signs of their loved ones. It is always a moving picture to see.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, very moving, very touching. We are seeing also a lot of people who are outside and near the Ground Zero ceremonies that are taking place.

Now, the area is getting busier and busier as you have people who are here to get as close as they can to the event, others who are tourists who want to see Ground Zero as close as they can get to it for themselves. You can hear church bells ringing and a lot of people passing by.

Those who also participated in the ceremony occasionally march down passed the street. We are seeing some soldiers going by now, troops, also members of the honor guard going by, and a touching quote from the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who said, "No other public tragedy," in his words, "has cut our city so deeply."

We have seen family members here who have been assisting this year at this ceremony by those who are currently working on the 9/11 memorial. What's important about that, the families are able to see that memorial finally taking shape. They are seeing the reflecting pools, for example. They are seeing this year for the first time, the 16 swamp oak trees that were just brought here a couple of weeks ago in time for the ceremony.

And again this memorial which will include cascading waterfalls will be opened this time next year. We are assured of that by the people who are working on it.

But it is hard not to think about the other controversy that is unfolding just a couple of blocks from here. And that is the controversy over the proposal to build the Islamic center and mosque. Later today there will be rallies from those that oppose it and from those that favor it. It's something that's stirred up a lot of heartache among a lot of people that were involved and watching this unfold.

And also the Florida pastor who was talking about burning Korans on this day is also in New York, and he told NBC's "Today Show" that he will not be doing that, not ever. However, he is in the city and the police department told him they will be watching his every move. And they say he will not be attending that ceremony.

But today and at this hour, more importantly, everyone is concentrating on the events of people who are memorializing their loved ones who are lost on 9/11. And in Mayor Bloomberg's words again, he said, "We will build on the footprints of the past and the foundation of the future."

As we know, there are more ceremonies, including one at the Pentagon, and joining us now is our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, in Washington.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Susan, T.J., here in Washington, the president a little while ago laid a wreath at the Pentagon memorial marking the events of today. It was at 9:37 in the morning of September 11th American airlines flight 77 hit the Pentagon, hijacked by terrorists, 184 people losing their lives.

You see there family members and visitors paying their respects at the Pentagon memorial site which open aid couple years ago. And right in the background there you see the wall of the Pentagon rebuilt one year to the day in 2002 after the plane hit.

The Pentagon, the U.S. military, as I recall that day being inside, I can say without a doubt so defiant, so determined to go on. The war in Afghanistan almost immediately began to be seriously planned, Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, refusing to leave, that, of course, meaning nobody else was about to leave. Nobody was going to let him stay there by himself.

And it was very much a sense of what the U.S. military does best when under attack. They very respectfully tend to the dead and wounded and they get busy with what needs to be done. It has been nine years, still a very, very tough war in Afghanistan, 100,000 troops on the ground now hoping to make progress in that war.

And it is a new generation of troops really now, nine years later, fighting the war. As I was saying a little while ago, I recently met a 21-year-old private first class Miguel Garcia from the 101st airborne division which has done so many tours in the war zone. He was wounded in Afghanistan, on his way back home to Fort Campbell and his family.

He says he is not into politics. He is a soldier serving his country. He's 21. Thank you about this -- nine years ago today, he was a 12-year-old little boy. T.J.? HOLMES: That is something. You told that story earlier. That is something to think about. This kid was in middle school doing who knows what, and now all these years later, who would have known he would have been brought into this country's response into something he saw happen when he was 12 years old?

STARR: As the war goes on, it is really young service members who are on the front lines really shouldering so much of the burden in Afghanistan and Iraq and around the world.

If you travel to the warzone, you will see that the bulk of the troops in combat positions are young men somewhere perhaps between 19, 25, 26, 27. General Stanley McChrystal likes to tell the anecdote when he was in command, he once asked a young man, young soldier, what were you doing on 9/11? And this young soldier answered General McChrystal, "Sir, I was getting my braces off that morning." Time goes on.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: That is something else. Barbara Starr, we appreciate you as always and those little anecdotes as well. Thank you so much.

And again, we want to remind you what we are keeping an eye on, ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. You see on the stage there, the current first lady and the former first lady sitting next to each other. They are both going to be a part of this ceremony today, both going to be speaking. We will be back here live and we will let you hear from those speeches in a bit.

Another bit of news I do need to pass along on this 9/11. It is a storyline that has been in the headlines here in the U.S. and around the world. And an important update we can say as well. The Florida preacher who said he was going to call this "Burn Koran Day," and a lot of people in this country in Washington, D.C., from the president to the secretary of defense, worried what that kind of behavior, what that kind of picture and attitude could cause around the country and attitude has said he will not have this "Burn a Koran Day" after all. I will let you hear from him in a moment, what he said this morning.

But right now let me go back to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the first lady now standing on the podium.

LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: Thanks, gentlemen, especially for this Flight 93 memorial. I am honored to mark this day with the families of Flight 93. I am happy to be here with the first lady, who serves our country with such grace.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you, Governor Rendell and Secretary Salazar for your good words. Thank you, Gordy, for helping the families that I am looking at before me.

When I was first here on September 17th, 2001, this quiet field was scarred by a smoldering crater. Our grief was raw and our heartache was heavy. We were just learning the names of those aboard flight 93 and the story of their sacrifice.

This peaceful place was not chosen by the terrorists. They had other targets for their violence and hate. This spot was chosen by the passengers of flight 93, who spared our country from even greater horrors.

As we gather to remember those who were lost and honor their courage, we are deeply grateful. The events of September 11th grow distant in time, but they remain vivid in the memory of our nation and in the hearts of those who suffered such a great loss.

Over the years, we've learned the stories of those last minutes aboard flight 93. Passengers placed calls to authorities to warn them of the hijacking. We know they called family members to assure them of their love and to tell them of their plans. One passenger called his wife and said, "I know we're all going to die. There is three of us, going to do something about it. I love you, honey."

And we know that in the midst of their fear, they were calmed by their faith. A crew member called her husband and told him that they were going to rush the hijackers. Over the phone line, he heard other passengers whispering the 23rd psalm, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me."

Nine years ago, in the skies above this field and in Washington and in New York City, we saw the worst of our enemy and the best of our nation. And we were suddenly reminded of many half forgotten lessons. We saw that there is evil in the world, but also good at the heart of our country.

America was attacked, but the deepest belief of our democracy was vindicated, that our greatness and strength is found in the character of our citizens.

Americans responded with heroism and selflessness, with compassion and courage, and with prayer and hope. In our grief we learned that our faith is an active faith, that we are called to serve and care for one another and to bring hope and comfort where there is despair and sorrow.

We remember 9/11 not only as a day of great loss but also a day of recommitment to certain enduring values. When the innocent are attacked, Americans defend them. When the innocent suffer, Americans rally to their aid. In the face of terror, Americans chose to overcome evil with good.

It was following the tragic events of that September morning that we saw the goodness of the lord in the land of the living. We saw it here as Shanksville's first responders rushed to this field and in the endurance of all of those that worked passed exhaustion to rescue people trapped in the towers and the Pentagon.

And again, as millions of Americans participated in blood drives, candlelight vigils, and memorial services, saying prayers in English, Hebrew, and Arabic, and we found unity in the shared grief. When this field was marked by smoldering ashes, now there is green grass. But the passage of time cannot erase the images etched in our minds from that calm September morning. We remember the moment the news came where we were and what we were doing. George and I grieved with the families whose loved ones perished on that bright blue morning. We thought about your loss every day that we lived in the White House and your stories remain close to our hearts. George sends his love.

And today we join with all Americans as we pause to remember those most affected by that day. We remember the families and friends of the lost and we still feel the wound of September 11th. We know the memories of your loved ones have not aged by time. You inspire us with your grace and strength.

We remember the law enforcement and intelligence personnel who stand watch on our behalf at every hour. And we remember the men and women of our military who oppose radicalism and terrorism at this very hour in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places around the world.

On this day, Americans have no division. Together, we recall the events that changed each one of us and that united our nation. Together, we honor the lost in silence and we remember that our quiet and peace is always defended by the courage of the brave.

Thank you all. God bless you, and god bless America.

(APPLAUSE)

HOLMES: That's the former first lady, Laura Bush, participating in the ceremonies taking place at Shanksville, Pennsylvania. That is where United flight 93 went down and 40 people aboard were killed. But many of you will be familiar with that story, those people on board, the passengers themselves, they overtook the terrorists and diverted that flight, crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, keeping it away from its intended target elsewhere and possibly saved who knows how many lives.

But we were hearing there from the former first lady. We will hear from the first lady, Michelle Obama, who is scheduled to speak in just a moment. Quick break. We're right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, a live look. We are just seconds away from another moment of silence, 10:28, when the North Tower fell, the second tower fell. We have been listening to the names being read by family members who have been paired up with people who are part of the 9/11 memorial museum. Here we are coming up on 10:28. Let's observe this moment of silence.

All right, again, 10:28 when the second tower fell in New York, the North Tower. I want to go from this ceremony where a song is about to be played, to Shanksville, Pennsylvania where the first lady has now stepped up to the podium. She's there to commemorate this anniversary as well. MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: -- and for all her work to help our nation heal in the days and months after the attack. Thank you so much.

(LAUGHTER)

I come here today not just as first lady on behalf of my husband and a grateful nation. I come as an American filled with a sense of awe at the heroism of my fellow citizens. I come as a wife, a daughter, and a sister, heartbroken at the loss so many of you have endured.

And I come as a mother thinking about what my daughters and what all of our sons and daughters can learn from the 40 men and women whose memories we honor today.

The men and women of flight 93 were college students and grandparents. They were businessmen, pilots, and flight attendants. There was a writer, an antique dealer, a lawyer, an engineer. They came from all different backgrounds and all walks of life.

And they all took a different path to that September morning, but in that awful moment when the facts became clear and they were called to make an impossible choice, they all found the same resolve. They agreed to the same bold plan.

They called the people they loved, many of them giving comfort instead of seeking it, explaining they were taking action and that everything would be OK.

And then they rose as one. They acted as one. And together, they changed history's course. And in the days that followed, when we learned about the heroes of flight 93 and what they had done, we were proud, we were awed, we were inspired.

But I don't think any of us were really surprised, because it was clear that these 40 individuals were no strangers to service and to sacrifice. For them, putting others before themselves was nothing new because they were veterans and coaches and volunteers of all sorts of causes.

There was the disability rights advocate who carried a miniature copy of the constitution everywhere she went. There was the census director that used to return to the home she canvassed to drop off clothing and food for families in need.

There was the couple that quietly used their wealth to make interest-free loans to struggling families. And to this day, they remind us not just by how they gave their lives but by how they lived their lives, that being a hero is not just a matter of fate. It's a matter of choice.

I think that Jack Brencolas put it best. His wife, Lauren, was one of the passengers on the flight. And he said "They were ordinary citizens thrown into a combat situation. No one was a general or a dictator. Their first thought was to be selfless. They knew there was a 98 percent chance we are not going to make it, but let's save others."

The men and women on that plane never met the people whose lives they would save, yet they willingly made the sacrifice. Before September 11th, the people of this community didn't know any of the families here today, yet they embraced them as their own, inviting them into their homes, guarding this sacred spot day after day, lovingly cataloging every item, momentum, every photograph, every letter left at the temporary memorial.

And over the past nine years, more than 1 million people have come here to pay their respects, to express their gratitude and try in their own small way to ease the burden of these family's grief by honoring the people they loved.

And all of this reminds us that while this memorial begins here in Shanksville, it doesn't end at the edges of this field. It extends to all those they saved whose lives today are possible because they gave theirs.

It extends to all those they inspired who thought to themselves, if they can do something that extraordinary with their lives, then maybe, just maybe, it's time I made something more of mine. Maybe it is time I wore my country's uniform. Maybe it is time I gave more to my community. Maybe it is time for me to be a better friend, a better neighbor, a better American.

And most of all, this memorial extends to all their families whose lives were shaped by their love. And I am thinking especially today of the children, toddlers, who have grown into young men and women, teenagers who have become adults who will one day bring their own children to this place and tell them about the proud legacy they inherit.

Sinali (ph) Bevin was just five years old when she lost her father. And even in the midst of the shock and the heartbreak of first hearing the news, she said to her mother, "I am so sad, but I am not the saddest girl in the whole world, because children lost their mommy and daddy."

Muriel Borza (ph), who is here with us today, was just ten when she lost her sister, Diora (ph). In a speech on the one-year anniversary, she called for a worldwide moment of peace, and she asked people, and this is her quote, "To make a pledge to do a good deed that will help mankind in some small way, even if it's a hug, a kiss, a smile, a wave, a prayer, or just silent thought of those they love."

I know that all the young people here have done their very best to be strong for their families and to hold the memories of their loved ones close and to live their lives in a way that would make them proud.

And I know it hasn't been easy. While grief has its own course for each of us and no one can presume to know what your families have felt, I can imagine that there are days when the pain is still raw, when the time and distance of those nine years falls away and that loss is still fresh. But I can also imagine that as time has passed, there have been more good days, more moments when you are able to find joy and comfort in happy memories.

And I can imagine that on those better days, maybe sometimes you worry about whether in moving on you may in some way be leaving your loved ones behind.

But I can't help but think that it is actually just opposite, that in having the courage to move forward, you honor their courage, that in choosing to live your own lives as fully as you can, you are celebrating theirs, that in coming together and pushing ahead to build this permanent memorial, you are ensuring that their memory will always be a part not just of your own lives but of the life of this nation.

And know that because you kept going and because you persevered that long after you are gone, people will come here, continue to come here to Shanksville and they will stand at this plaza and listen to the echoes of those chimes and gaze out at this field, and they will see how a scar in the earth has healed, how it has grown back as a peaceful resting place for 40 of our nation's heroes.

They will understand that because of all of you, a site of devastation and destruction was transformed into a place of reverence and remembrance. And it is truly my prayer today that in the years ahead, all who come here and all of you may be filled with the hope that is written in the book of psalms, "Though you may have made me see troubles many and bitter, you will restore my life again. From the depth of the earth, you will again bring me up."

May the memories of those who gave their lives here continue to be a blessing to all of you and an inspiration to all Americans. Thank you all. God bless you, and god bless America.

(APPLAUSE)

HOLMES: The first lady joined the former first lady. There they are on stage together, a big part of the memorial service for the Shanksville, Pennsylvania folks. This is where the plane, United flight 93, went down at 10:03 a.m. eastern time on this day nine years ago. Forty people aboard that plane were killed, many of them credited with intervening with stopping those hijackers from turning that plane and getting to its intended destination.

You heard the first lady say people on that plane never got to meet the people whose lives they saved. We will never know just how many lives they saved and who exactly they saved that day, but surely that plane did not get to its intended target that day.

There has been a long, long battle there in that particular area in Somerset County in the southwest part of that state, people trying to get a permanent memorial built. That back and forth continues. But today, another moment to stop and remember those in Pennsylvania who also were a part of this day. I've been keeping an eye on what we are seeing in New York City where the reading of the names continues right now, and also in the Pentagon where we saw the president a short time ago make comments.

But here there in New York is what we see, the family members there at Ground Zero. They have gotten to see the World Trade Center site. This is the first time they are able to see the progress being made on the memorial and the museum, the memorial going to be open a year from today and then a year after that, the actual museum.

But the huge reflecting pools that are going to be put into exactly where the footprints of the Twin Towers is just an awesome sight to see.

But coming up here in just a moment, we are going to be talking to a mother who is lost her son in the World Trade Center attack. But there is more to this story. Her son was Muslim, and she feels like possibly she had to be victimized twice in a lot of ways. She will explain that right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This all began about an hour and 15 minutes ago here in lower Manhattan when the first of two planes crashed in to the first of the two towers behind me at the World Trade Center. You can see the smoke billowing out of the front tower now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: That was nine years ago today, some of the CNN reporting live here.

Well, 46 minutes past the hour now. I want to tell you about a young man, a young Muslim man, 23 years old, Simon Hamdani, Pakistani American, who was an EMT going to medical school.

Well, he saw the Twin Towers burning and he was on his way to work. He took a detour and went to the North Tower. He wanted to help out. He wanted to help save lives. He didn't make it out alive.

Before his remains were identified, though, his absence was questioned based on his Muslim faith. People wondered if he was dead or if he was hiding.

Six months later, though, his body was found, his name was cleared. But nine years later, his mother Talat Hamdani, has become a bit of a victim herself. She has received hate mail for being Muslim and for her support of the planned Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero.

And Talat Hamdani is today to remember her son and talk about what she has been going through the past nine years. Ma'am, thank you for being here. I was asking you during the commercial break, did you go it a ceremony today or have you gone to them in the past. And it is not really something you are fond of doing, going to a lot of these memorial ceremonies.

TALAT HAMDANI, 9/11 FAMILIES FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES: Thank you for having me, T.J. I went to the first anniversary, which was in 2002. Since then, I haven't been there. It was very traumatic.

It doesn't serve any purpose for me to go there, except to go into a deep depression and start reliving how my son lost his life there, what he would have been through. I haven't been down there since then. The second anniversary, my husband went there and he died the next year. I find it very traumatic and I stay home with my two boys.

It's a very somber day.

HOLMES: Yes, ma'am, it is a very somber day. How is today? You have gone through now nine of these anniversaries. How are you today compared to years passed?

HAMDANI: I am healed. I am not in depressed. There are still moments where whenever I remember Samon, like last night when I was writing something about him on my Facebook page. So the pain will always remain there.

But as a person, as a mother, I feel very vindicated, because, finally, after nine years, this nation honored him, acknowledged him for his sacrifice. He was a proud American. He wanted to go under the American flag, which he did.

So I'm very honored and humbled that this nation recognized his sacrifice, my son's sacrifice. That's all I have to say.

HOLMES: Well, ma'am, how difficult was it? You already lost a son, but to go through always having to clear your son's name afterwards. You knew he wasn't up to anything. You knew he didn't have any link to terror. You knew he was a proud American.

And how difficult was it to feel like you were a victim almost twice, losing your son and then having to clear his name?

HAMDANI: Well, when you are in a turbulent time, you don't have time to think what's happening. You go on reacting and trying to get his name cleared. We did not have time to grieve, basically. It was an uphill struggle. I had to make many phone calls. I kept questioning the administration and the police department and made many phone calls, searched many hospitals. Maybe he has lost his memory. Maybe he is unable to speak.

So it was a very tough time. But I am glad and grateful to my god that eventually the truth prevailed. There was nothing that they could pin on him. And here we are nine years later. He is being honored as an American hero. So what else can I ask for?

HOLMES: Well, what would you ask for on a grander scale, ma'am? You have been seeing so much of what's been happening in the news lately, the debate, the back and forth. Some would call it an anti- Muslim sentiment out there. What would you ask for now? HAMDANI: I think as a nation, we definitely were attacked and paid the price with all those 3,000 people that died that day. And as a legacy to their sacrifice, we need to honor them for the values that they were killed for, they were murdered.

And they were murdered for being Americans, not for their faith, ethnicity, or race, but for being Americans and believing in the American values of democracy, of liberty and our freedoms. And that is how we need to honor them, to hold those great American values on which our nation was founded.

And even in Ecclesiastes it says, "For everything there is a season, and there is a season and a purpose for everything." Now, I think it is the season to come together and heal as a nation, to move forward, and to make peace.

HOLMES: Make peace. The last thing here, ma'am, I know you are in support of that proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. Can that help promote peace, and we are just going through a rough period right now where it is dividing people?

HAMDANI: What's happening right now is very ugly. It is very un-American. And it is embarrassing as an American to go through what we are seeing right now.

Building that Islamic cultural center I think will definitely promote tolerance and peace and bring the dividing communities together, not only rebuild the community downtown, but it is a peace- building project.

How else are we going to tell the world what Islam really is? The terrorists who attacked us, terrorism does not have any faith. Our values are more important. We lost our loved ones and we cannot afford to lose our great American values.

HOLMES: Talat Hamdani, ma'am, I appreciate you taking the time out with us. Like you say, these days are difficult for you. You are healed and they are getting a little better for you. We appreciate you taking the time out for us and good luck down the road.

HAMDANI: May I say one thing more, please?

HOLMES: Please, ma'am, yes.

HAMDANI: There was a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission to form a civil liberties oversight board which is not functioning as yet. So we need to have that instituted and functioning and running so we can protect the civil liberties of everybody.

And I have formed an organization called 9/11 families for civil liberties. It is on the Facebook page. I welcome everybody to please join everybody to support us and join our cause.

HOLMES: We do have it up on the screen there so people were able to see that during the interview. So we appreciate that, ma'am, again. And we appreciate your time, and I'm sorry for your loss of your son. Thank you for being here.

HAMDANI: Thank you for having me.

HOLMES: We are seven minutes until the top of the hour here now. We are going to be passing on some other headlines, other stories we need to keep an eye on today as well, including out in San Bruno, California, where an investigation is underway as to what caused that fire that pretty much leveled a neighborhood. We'll go live to California coming next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, four dead, dozens wounded in a neighborhood that resembles really just a moonscape at this point. We are talking about San Bruno, California. That's where we saw that explosion and fire just the other day. The pictures have been absolutely amazing. But this is just outside of San Francisco. This was Thursday night this happened.

Our Dan Simon is on the ground for us with the very latest. Dan, I know there are a lot of questions. The investigation is going on right now. Still, people scratching their heads, how could something like this happen?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're right. They are asking those questions. T.J., we are expecting a news conference in an hour and a half with the lieutenant government of California as well as California Senator Barbara Boxer.

As you said, questions are swirling about what happened and why that natural gas line leak. As we've been reporting, residents complained that there is an odor of gas in that area. There is one person who said that for three weeks he detected the smell of gas. At one point, PG&E came out and investigated, but the odor still persisted.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and they are going to be looking into those reports. PG&E, Pacific Gas and Electric, said they are going to be looking into those reports as well. They could not confirm their crews had been out to that site despite the fact that some of the neighbors said they saw the utility trucks investigating that odor of gas.

As you also said, four people lost their lives in this explosion, including a 44-year-old Jacqueline Grieg and her 13-year-old daughter Janessa. It is ironic in that Grieg worked for the California utilities commission, the very agency that regulates PG&E.

We should tell you that residents are still not being allowed back in that area. It is still sealed off and still too dangerous for those evacuees to go back in. Obviously those people who live in that area are just hoping that they can go back in and resume their lives and try to pick up the pieces. T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, Dan Simon for us on the scene, lots of questions. We appreciate you this morning. Thanks for keeping an eye on things for us in San Bruno, California.