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9/11 Terror Attacks Remembered; Debates Over Proposed Islamic Center Near Ground Zero Continues; American Student Detained in Iran Not to be Released; New Technology Could Aid Lifeguards; Political Primaries Coming to a Close; Investigations Continue in Gas Line Explosion in San Bruno

Aired September 11, 2010 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On this ninth anniversary of 9/11, heightened emotions from ground zero to the proposed sight of the Islamic center. And ahead at 3:00 eastern time, a closer look at that deadly pipeline explosion in California outside San Francisco. Could something like that happen where you live?

And at 4:00, another perspective on the Islamic center. We'll talk to journalists from Sweden, South Africa, and as well as Israel. All that straight ahead here in the newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks has arrived with sorrow and with debate. The deadliest act of terrorism in the U.S. history was remembered this morning with memorial services in New York, in Washington, as well as Pennsylvania.

But the focus has shifted this afternoon to plans now for an Islamic center near the sight of the New York attack. A march in support of the center started at the top of the hour and we understand a protest is also about to get underway. Let's begin with our CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. At this hour, both sides are starting to build up steam in order to get out their message. And they intentionally chose this day of remembrance of the 9/11 attacks to stage their rally.

We are located about three blocks away from where the rallies are where to be staged that are being staged. That's because the police wanted to keep us at a great distance, at least our live satellite transmission, so that's why we're that far away.

But as you are trying to explain, you've got two groups here. First of all, you have the group supporting the idea of this proposed Islamic center and mosque to be built about two blocks away from ground zero.

Those who are in support of it are saying that people who are organizing it have the right to build a mosque and Islamic center wherever they choose according to U.S. constitution, that this is actually meant to bring people together, not split them apart. Although the imam who was organizing told CNN in an exclusive interview earlier this week that if he could have foretold the controversy, he might have chosen a different spot.

On the other hand, the protesters are arguing that the people who want to build the center may have the constitutional right to do so, but that it is disrespectful and simply too hurtful, primarily to the families of 9/11, to build that kind of a center that close to ground zero.

Regardless, there is a strong police presence here this day. Police commissioner Ray Kelly was telling me he will keep a close eye on both sides.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: Our goal is to make certain that demonstrations are peaceful and people can voice their opinions and in a peaceful manner. We want to keep opposing groups apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And of course, the police are used to possible flare ups happening as they did a few weeks ago when there was a similar rally. However, both sides certainly will not have a chance to vent, to air their respective messages. The question here is, is there any sign of a compromise? We don't see any evidence of it. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Susan Candiotti, thanks so much in lower Manhattan, appreciate that update.

All right, one thing that apparently will not happen today after a number of conflicting statements, Pastor Terry Jones says he will not be burning a Koran at his Florida church. He appeared on NBC's "Today Show" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY: Our goal is to make certain that the demonstrations are peaceful and people can voice their opinions in a peaceful manner. We want to keep opposing groups apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Clearly, that was not the pastor. We'll try and bring that to you when it becomes available.

Well, it's been exactly nine years since the 9/11 attacks, and ceremonies are being held across the country to mark the anniversary. In New York this morning at ground zero at a park there, 9/11 family members teamed up with the buildings, a new memorial there. Together they read aloud the names of the people killed on that tragic day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am proud to represent the port authority of New York and New Jersey, helping to build the 9/11 memorial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It was t tough morning for so many people. Moments of silence were also observed at the times when the planes hit the towers and again when the towers fell.

At next year's anniversary, a new ground zero memorial is scheduled to be open. It will include six skyscrapers, a museum, and two waters falls in the footprints of the twin towers.

Remember, ceremonies were also held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and also at the Pentagon. President Obama attended the Pentagon service along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen. The ceremony was open only to family members of the victims. President Obama later made a plea for religious tolerance and unity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The perpetrators of this evil act didn't simply attack America. They attacked the very idea of America itself, all that we stand for and represent in the world.

And so the highest honor we can pay those we lost, indeed our greatest weapon in this ongoing war, is to do what our adversaries fear the most -- to stay true to who we are as Americans, to renew our sense of common purpose, to say that we define the character of our country, and we will not let the acts of some small band of murderers who slaughter the innocent and cower in caves distort who we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The first lady also attended the 9/11 ceremony in Pennsylvania. Michelle Obama along with former first lady Laura Bush led a commemoration for the 40 people killed on flight 93 in that location. That plane crashed into a rural field as passengers and crew fought the hijackers who were planning to attack the U.S. capitol.

The first lady hailed the victims as true heroes who inspired a nation. Laura Bush also thanked people there for helping the country heal after the attack.

The imam behind the planned Islamic center and mosque near ground zero, hear his perspective and how others are reacting to the plans. That's coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The fate of the planned Islamic center and mosque near ground zero is still unclear weeks after the controversy surrounding the project erupted. The imam behind the center spoke out on CNN this week and he explained why moving locations could be a problematic and what brought him to the sight in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When did you settle upon this location, which is about two blocks north of ground zero? Why that particularly spot?

IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, FOUNDER, THE CORDOBA INITIATIVE: First, I must remind everybody that I have been imam of a mosque 10 blocks from that spot near ground zero. I've been serving that community and neighborhood for the last quarter of a century.

When 9/11 happened, we couldn't reach our mosque in Tribecca area. Finally, we came back, there was flowers, letters. We're part of this community. This is a community I have worked for so long, and is important for us as Muslims, as Muslims in lower Manhattan, to want to give back to the city and country that's given us so much.

O'BRIEN: Look at the polls. Something like 71 percent of Americans think that even though there's a right to build there, a center there that will include a mosque and other things, the wisdom of it may not be there.

RAUF: Here's the --

O'BRIEN: Is that political or is that sensitivity-wise that that's the wrong thing to do.

RAUF: I am extremely concerned about sensitivity, but I have a responsibility. If we move from that location the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse. The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack. And I'm less concerned about the radicals in America than I am concerned about the radicals in the Muslim world.

O'BRIEN: But isn't that also saying you're less concerned about the voices of opposition?

RAUF: No, no, no. I meant it that the danger from the radicals in Muslim world to our national security, to the national security of our troops -- I have a niece who works in the army serving in Iraq. The concern for American citizens who live and work and travel overseas will increasingly be compromised if the radicals are strengthened.

And if we do move, it will strengthen the argument of radicals to recruit, their ability to recruit, and their increasing aggression and violence against our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The reaction to the planned Islamic center are varied and strong, and our next guests are ready to give their opinions about this firestorm of debate on this. Ahmed Al-Mahdawy is the head of the Hoda Islamic center in Gainesville, Florida. Good to see you. Hussein Rashid is an expert on Muslim cultures. He's join me from -- where are you exactly? From Toronto.

And joining mere here in Atlanta, Melody Moezzi. She's the executive director of the non-profit group "100 People of Faith." Good to see all of you. She's also the author of "War on Error, Real Stories of American Muslims." I thought that was the typo. Sorry about that. Welcome to all of you.

Melanie, let me begin with you, because you're right here in front of me. So is what's at issue the center, its location, or the tolerance and acceptance of Islam in this country?

MELODY MOEZZI, AUTHOR, "WAR ON ERROR": I think what really is at issue is a constitutional issue. This is a First Amendment issue.

WHITFIELD: In what way?

MOEZZI: This is a matter of freedom of religion. That we would be letting the terrorists win if we said we won't freely allow Muslims to build an Islamic center close to, two blocks, from ground zero.

There's already an Islamic center, as Mayor Bloomberg pointed out, four blocks from ground zero. This is a matter of freedom of religion, and the truth is, over a certain period of time, we thought Jews and blacks and other groups and Catholics didn't deserve the rights all Americans deserve.

Right now, Muslims are suffering from that kind of Islamaphobia. But I believe Americans are stronger than that, smarter than that, and eventually we will rise above that.

WHITFIELD: I want to get to that word, "Islamaphobia" and if we are in a state of that. Ahmed al-Mahdawy in Florida, you apparently disagree as to whether it is appropriate, whether it is an issue of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, for this Islamic center to be poised where it is proposed to be in ground zero. Is that correct?

AHMED AL-MAHDAWY, CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER, HODA ISLAMIC CENTER: My views are really basically and fundamentally lined with our constitutional rights and the campaign lately between the two sides, which, I'm a Muslim and I lead the Muslims in Gainesville or one of the leaders in Gainesville, Florida.

The views of Muslims now are if we give in to a very tiny minority of burning the Koran or asking for moving of the center, it is, to me, burning of the Koran stopped and Terry Jones will be invited to our mosque.

And in Gainesville, we know how to make our country and our society abide by the law and the constitution. The question really is, why are Muslims sticking with a plan of one center rather than sticking to the demand that this activity, trying to make Muslims second class citizens, is the issue.

The fear in the Muslim communities now is that Islam in America is under attack. And they fear what happened in Bosnia prior to war, what happened in Germany prior to the holocaust, they fear that this tiny little minority can take America away from its road of decency, equal rights for all citizens, abide by the constitution.

And for the first time in my 42 years in America, I don't know what to tell my grandchildren about respect to the constitution based on great leaders of ours stating statements and websites that say, do not admit Muslims to America. Do not build Islamic centers in America.

So, my views were not one side. It is rather preserve the constitution to all American citizens.

WHITFIELD: So, let me bring in Hussein Rashid in Toronto. Do you agree with protesters, those who don't like the idea of this center being so close to ground zero, that that encourages this Islamaphobia, that encourages defeat of this very argument of freedom of religion?

HUSSEIN RASHID, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: I don't want to come out against anybody. I don't want to be against anybody. I want to be for the constitution. And I think I agree with melody on this. There is a constitutional and moral right for that center to be there. There is a community there is of Muslims and non-Muslims that needs to be serviced. And this project is an attempt to be a community center to do that.

My issue is that I don't think that the team has done a very good job in reaching out and explaining what it is they need to do. They haven't done a good job in building the support in lower Manhattan for both Muslims and non-Muslim to get behind the project.

I think it's dangerous to say that just because I support the constitutional right and I support the moral right that I support the center. I think those are two separate issues.

WHITFIELD: So, Melody, is there Islamaphobia? And if so, at what point did that flame get sparked?

MOEZZI: Certainly, there is Islamaphobia. That's the reason I wrote my first book.

WHITFIELD: Let me let Melody have her moment here.

MOEZZI: I agree there is Islamaphobia, because, as I said before, I think Americans really are smart and I think through education they can learn and rise above it. I have traveled all over the country, speaking at universities, churches, synagogues all over the place.

And I can tell, just when people learn and meet different Muslims and see that we don't like look we think we look, we don't sound like you think we sound, that we are Americans, then they have different perceptions.

So I think we will get past this. Right now, there were periods of times that we discriminated against a lot of other groups, and we have gotten past that. Unfortunately, Muslims gave a lot of other people are still subject to a lot of discrimination in this country and I, as a young person, hope that will end.

WHITFIELD: At the end of Ramadan here, we are hearing from a number of Muslims in this country who are saying they are afraid to acknowledge their religion openly because they're afraid they will be targeted. Can you comment on that?

HUSSEIN RASHID, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: Yes, America is the greatest land, the greatest system that man has ever created here on earth. We shall preserve that and the fear in the hearts of Muslims is not fear for their safety because the society is very safe. It is the fact that we are sliding with some politicians taking advantage of the discussion between the right and left to develop extremists.

And we are against extremists, as President Obama said. We are not in war with Islam. We are not in war with Muslims. We are in war with the people that killed our people on 9/11. More than 2,700 people were killed, including more than 30 Muslims.

We have Muslims in the military. We have Muslim generals. We have Muslims Noble Prize winners, we Muslims in America that do everything every day.

As for the mosque in New York or the center in New York, I do agree with the gentleman that spoke and said that it was not handled correctly. I agree that financial side of it has not been totally explored, that the elements of a small minority of Muslims in America should dictate the major, major issue of making America equal for all.

We aren't going back to the '50s and '60s where the war of internal discussion. Now we are one unit under god, we respect the rights of our neighbors, and we declare that Muslims are integrated fully into this society and their rights must be kept.

And the fear in their hearts, no Muslim integration to America, no building the Islamic center, must be denounced by all sides of politician including the right and center and the left.

WHITFIELD: OK, thanks so much here in Atlanta. We're out of time. Thanks to all of you and your availability and expressed thoughts on this issue.

MOEZZI: Thank you.

AL-MAHDAWY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Not coming home -- the release of an American hiker detained in Iran is called off. Coming up, we'll learn more about the failed release and the hiker's time in prison.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The expected release of an American hiker held in Iran is not happening. Sarah Shourd was supposed to be released tonight after more than a year in custody. CNN's Ivan Watson is in Istanbul, Turkey, with more on the hikers and how the plan to release Shourd fell apart. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A reversal by the Iranian government that's sure to come as a devastated blow to the family of Sarah Shourd. She is one of three American hikers who have been imprisoned in Iran for more than a year after the Iranian government says they crossed the border illegally and all three have since been charged with being spies.

Now, on Thursday, the culture ministry of the Iranian government reached out to journalists in Tehran and invited them to a ceremony on Saturday at a Tehran hotel. That was to be attended by an Iranian vice president, and Sarah Shourd was to be released in honor of the Muslim holiday.

Nearly 24 hours later, the prosecutor general had announced that release had been canceled. He claimed the authorities had not worked according to due process.

We know that Sarah Shourd, unlike the male counterparts, is being kept in mostly solitary confinement except for about an hour a day when she is allowed to meet with her two American co-prisoners. We spoke earlier on Saturday with an Iranian dissident here in Turkey by telephone who says that last year she spent some time in a neighboring cell to Sarah Shourd.

MINOO RABIEE, CELLMATE OF SARAH SHOURD: I remember Sarah was singing. She said, "I'm a senior." And her voice was very, very beautiful. She said, "I'm homesick and I miss my mom." And sometimes she cried. And I heard her crying.

WATSON: The family of Sarah Shourd says she is suffering from health problems as she has a cervical problem and recently discovered a lump in her breast. Meanwhile, her defense attorney has spoken with CNN, and he is arguing that there is a disagreement between rival branches in the Iranian government over just what to do with this American prisoner.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And what do families who have lost loved ones on 9/11 think about the proposed Islamic center near ground zero? You might be surprised. That story's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In New York today, a rally is taking place before and against the planned Islamic center near ground zero. This represents people who are for the proposed center to be built there near ground zero. Not a huge turnout, but significant nonetheless on this ninth anniversary of September 11th.

Building an Islamic center and mosque near ground zero is an especially emotional issue for 9/11 families, but not all are against it. CNN's correspondent Allan Chernoff reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSALEEN TALLON, SISTER OF 9/11 VICTIM: It's not a small mosque. It's not far away from the sight. It's right on top of where they were murdered.

ROBERT NELSON, BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: But, in my mind, this mosque is a good thing. We cannot find all billion Muslims in the world.

CHERNOFF: Robert and Rosaline Callan share a deep pain here at the World Trade Center site where both lost a brother in the attack nine years ago. Yet they split sharply over the planned Islamic community center that would include a mosque two blocks from here.

Robert lost his brother, David, who worked in tower one, yet argues they should be able to build a tower here.

NELSON: Have we forgotten what happened at 9/11?

CHERNOFF: He fears opponents of the plan including many families, are threatening civil rights of Muslims.

NELSON: They're being hounded out. They're being shouted down. And that's just not what America should stand for.

TALLON: But imagine I would shout from the top of any tower to protect my city. I want to make sure that $100 million isn't coming from Saudi Arabia or from the very hands that funded the attack.

CHERNOFF: Rosaline Tallon lost her brother, Sean, a firefighter based across the street. She says she knows Sean would want her to speak out to defend the area that became his gravesite, and she emphatically states that she is doing so without any bias against Muslims.

TALLON: It's not against the Muslim people, but it's a sensitivity that is putting a mosque here where perhaps there may be some people sympathetic to what the terrorists did that day. That's not acceptable to me.

CHERNOFF: So when you hear them say, this is a community center, it's open to everybody, that doesn't do it for you?

TALLON: At the end of the day, it's an Islamic culture center with a mosque. It's a big center. And it will bring lots and lots of Muslim people gathered here so close to ground zero.

CHERNOFF: Americans that have shared unimaginable pain, who have cried on each other's shoulders, now, in some cases, are at odds over the nation's latest controversy, an Islamic center near the site of their tragic loss.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

WHITFIELD: And the investigation intensifies. What caused the massive explosion that incinerated a San Bruno community?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The question, what caused that massive inferno in that San Bruno, California community? We know at the root was some sort of gas leak. Let's check in with Dan Simon who is in that location now. You've talked to a number people, including officials. What's the latest?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. The latest is two people are still unaccounted for if in the that is the case. That would bring the death toll up to six people if in fact those two are not found.

I want to show you where I am. We are at a shopping center. You can see behind us, this has been sort of a place where people have been dropping off items for those who may have lost their homes. You can see clothes, somebody brought a baby stroller and food and water.

Again, as we mentioned, the big headline here is that as many as six people may have died in this disaster. We can also tell you that a short while ago, Senator Barbara Boxer and other local officials toured the wreckage sites. CNN provided the pool video that you may have there. As you can see those images, it's just real, you know, what can you say? It looks like a warzone in that area.

One of the things we can also tell you is that PG&E, they actually addressed the media just a short time ago and they were asked that these reports, whether or not neighbors detected the smell of odor. And what PG&E says they're going through all their phone records. They've gone through about two-thirds of their phone records and at this point they have no evidence that anybody called and complained about the smell of gas.

We also asked about these reports, that utility crews were seen in that area in the days before the explosion telling residents to go inside, and perhaps working along that site, if in fact there was a problem with the pipe. PG&E says once again, they have no knowledge of their crews in that area responding to any complaints of a gas odor.

So those are the two things that really stand out at this hour, Fred. Of course, still so many questions. Was there a problem with that pipe? Did PG&E know about it? And if so, what steps did they take to address those concerns? And we're still waiting to find out more information about that.

WHITFIELD: We know they're going through the call logs and checking with any kind of responses to those complaints of people who thought they smelled some sort of natural gas a day before the explosion, right?

SIMON: Exactly. One gentleman says he had smelled gas for three weeks and that he was told by a PG&E utility person to actually go inside his home, close his garage door, his windows. In his mind, PG&E was out for that very specific purpose because there was a problem with that natural gas line. You would think that perhaps PG&E might be able to corroborate that story quickly, but so far they say they cannot.

WHITFIELD: Wow, and extraordinary images there of the neighborhood that was once intact. Thanks so much. Dan Simon, appreciate that.

A look at our top stories right now. The family of American hiker Sarah Shourd thought she was getting out of an Iranian prison today after more than a year in captivity. An Iranian government official announced the plan to release earlier here this week, but prosecutors say the judicial process has not been completed. Shourd is one of three American hikers detained and accused of being spies.

And a massive manhunt is underway in northern Mexico after 85 inmates climbed over a prison wall. A Mexican news agency is reporting that two guards are also missing, 44 other guards were also detained on suspicion of corruption.

And a Kansas City man is facing multiple charges for hijacking a city bus and leading police on a chase through downtown. The driver and passengers got off the bus before the suspect drove away. "The Kansas City Star" says the man is charged with burglary and robbery and eluding a police officer. He was arrested after the bus crashed and caught fire.

And you may have already put away your beach gear for the year, but when you head to the shore in the future, a new kind of life guard could be there to help keep you safe. Gary Tuchman explains on this "Edge of Discovery."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This lifeguard might be the best on the beach. Her name, Emily, which stands for "Emergence Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard."

BOB LAUTRUP, HYDRONALIX: It doesn't replace the life guard, but may enable the life guards to get to an individual they may not have been able to get to in the past.

TUCHMAN: Emily speeds through high waves in seconds, directed from shore by a remote control. When she reaches swimmers in distress, they can hold on to her until help arrives.

LAUTRUP: We have worked on having a radio to send Emily out to say, "Stand away from this, you're in danger of going into riptide."

TUCHMAN: And that's not all she can do. Her designers say Emily could be equipped with sonar and cameras or be used for military surveillance. Emily is still being tested, so it could be a while before you can check her out at a beach near you.

Gary Tuchman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: All right, there's a lot of action this weekend with the last midterm primary coming up next week. Your "CNN equals Politics" update is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time for our "CNN equals Politics" update. We're keeping an eye on the latest headlines on the CNN.com political ticker. And CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser has a look at what's crossing right now.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good afternoon, Fred. A lot of stuff going on on the campaign trail today.

Let's start with candidates campaigning for Tuesday's primaries. Seven states plus to District of Columbia hold contests on Tuesday. It's the last big round of primaries before the midterm elections.

The second thing going on, one of those primaries, the one in Delaware, probably the one grabbing the most national attention. It's because Mike Castle, the moderate Republican, he is getting challenged by Christine O'Donnell who is backed by a lot of tea party activists. This is becoming a down and out and tough contest.

Well, Christine O'Donnell just got two major endorsements from the National Rifle Association and Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, a leading conservative. We're keeping an eye on Delaware. We'll see if the tea party and tea party express has another victory on Tuesday.

And also on the CNN political ticker right now, unity maybe in Florida on the Republican side. We sent our Peter Hamby to a big Republican Party dinner last night in Florida. It was a pretty nasty gubernatorial primary down there between Rick Scott and Bill McCollum, the state's attorney general. Scott won the primary. There was a unity party last night. Remember, maybe not everybody's on board. We'll keep a close eye on that governor's contest in Florida.

That's all that's going on now. But there's a lot more. Check it on CNN.com, the CNN political ticker. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, that is a lot. Thanks so much, Paul.

Trouble brewing - that's tough to say -- trouble brewing in the Atlantic. It's a tropical storm named Igor and it could become a hurricane today.

(WEATHER BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, they were in class when a 9/11 jet crashed nearby. We hear from a group of students in Shanksville, Pennsylvania the stories we've never heard until now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's the ninth anniversary of 9/11, and remembrance ceremonies were held this morning at the sites of the attacks in New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The service in Shanksville was held in a field where flight 93 crashed as passengers and crew fought the hijackers. The names of the 9/11 victims were read out loud, one by one. First lady Michelle Obama and former first lady Laura Bush led the commemoration and hailed the victims of flight 93 as true heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: For them putting others before themselves was nothing new. 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 who used to return to the home she canvassed to drop of clothing and food for families in need. There was the couple who 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.

LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: We saw that there is evil in the world, but also good at the heart of our country. America was attacked, but the deepest beliefs of our democracy was vindicated, that our greatness and strength is found in the character of our citizens.

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)