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New York Dedicates 9/11 Memorial Museum

Aired May 15, 2014 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Take it away.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Carol, thank you very much. Ashleigh and I stood here in 2001. We were some of the reporters who were covering the events that day. And what we often talk about are the moments that matter. We've marked the anniversaries, five years, 10 years, but today is special because the story of that day will be told in a way it never has been before, when the doors of the museum open.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: So often we see the images on television across this nation of what's behind us and what's above ground and how long it's taken, 13 years, to sort of get to this stage where the reflecting pools are here for the public to visit when they come to New York City in lower Manhattan. What you don't see and what haven't seen until today is what is seven stories below ground and the 10,000 some-odd artifacts that have been collected from that horrifying day now on display for us to remember not only the heroism, but the resilience of this country and the remarkable efforts of those who responded.

CUOMO: And, you know, the museum -- it's a very involved situation. This has been going on for a long time. You're seeing one of the main symbols of 9/11 now, the truck from Company 3 there, Ladder 3. That was one of the symbols of just how violent the day was and the toll it took. But this museum being so deep underground, there's meaning behind that.

When this happened on 9/11, some of the early reporting that Ashleigh was doing was the false promise that we all believed that people were alive in the mall underneath the building. It went down so many stories, so deep. So there's significance below ground as we're here today and we're seeing what is really still in process. The museum opening its doors from underground means something. I think many will feel it's the right place for it to be.

BANFIELD: And many still don't. And this is one of the controversies that perhaps if you live in New York City, you understand it. You feel it. If you don't live in the city, perhaps you haven't heard, but those who have family members and loved ones who died here and who haven't been identified, those remains still exist, and they have to be kept somewhere.

And this memorial is actually going to house those remains underground. One of the problems is you do have to buy a ticket to go into the museum, and there are many families who feel that's a public memorial. These are our people, and they need to be remembered, and we need to be able to lay a flower for free. The families can, but the public can't.

CUOMO: You're right. If you make the accommodation to the family, what about extended family? What about friends? What about those who feel that they want the search to identify the remains to continue and get them? It gets so personal and so intense, you know. Today, the mood here is going to be solemn, of course. The atmosphere is solemn as well.

It's a very cloudy day here and gray, which is appropriate, but it was not that way, you have to remember, as we're showing you the wall which has an elaborate day of remembering the color of the sky on that day. September 11th, 2001, was a beautiful day. The sky was perfect until it was ruined by the acts of the terrorists who flew the planes into the buildings that day. But today is more befitting, the solemnity of the occasion. These are always sad.

BANFIELD: That wall, what an incredible artistic display of the various different memories of the color of the day. And we are now just beginning this very solemn remembrance where the young people's chorus of New York City performs somewhere. The president has already toured this with the first lady and President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton as well. They were toured by Mayor Bloomberg who actually is the chairman of the museum. So a befitting tour guide for such an incredible moment for them to see.

CUOMO: We're going to let the occasion play out for you as much as possible as it moves along, the program. We just want to tell you what you need to know to get into it and setting the scene, Deborah Feyerick is down on the ground by the museum. So let's bring her in and see what it's like down there at this point -- Deb.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, Ashleigh, what makes this museum so special is just how real it is. And you hear the beauty of the song that's playing right now, "Somewhere." That really strikes to the chord of what this day is all about. It wasn't just about 9/11, but it was about all the days that followed it.

And when you walk into the museum, you see the faces, the horror of what was happening as people looked up into the sky and saw those planes crashing into the towers and then watching those towers collapse. You see images of faces projected onto the steel and to the concrete, and you hear the voices -- not only the voices describing what they witnessed, but also voices, the last phone calls made to husbands, to wives, to children and family members.

And Chris, you mentioned how there was so much hope on that day, that people would make it out alive. And you look at those panels, and those panels on that blue wall, those reflect each and every person who died who was lost on that day. The words are from Virgil, and it says "No day shall erase you from the memory of time."

It is such a powerful feeling to be in that museum, to see what happened, how an ordinary day all of a sudden became a day remembered by tragedy. There are fire engines, as you mentioned. What an appropriate metaphor to see what was a beautiful machine ripped to shreds, that's how we all felt. And you can't you go through that museum, Chris and Ashleigh, without really getting choked up.

It is a stark in your gut, in-your-face reminder of everything that was lost, but also of the bravery and the courage and how the world came together and was unified on that special day. It's quite extraordinary. And while, yes, it costs a lot of money to go in, I think people never forget the experience of what is inside that museum -- Chris, Ashleigh.

CUOMO: All right, Deb, right now we are watching the honor guard that's comprised of members of the FDNY, the NYPD, and the PAPD, leading federal, state and memorial flags to the stage. Let's listen in.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, CHAIRMAN, 9/11 MEMORIAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS: We are here today to help dedicate a great museum, one that rises out of the bedrock of our city, our history, and our hearts. In the years to come, the 9/11 Memorial Museum will take its place alongside the fields of Gettysburg, the waters of Pearl Harbor, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a sacred marker of our past and as a solemn gathering place, a place we come to remember those who died and to honor acts of courage and compassion that saved lives and lifted spirits.

The outstretched hands that rushed forward that day and in the hard weeks and months that followed. In the streets of New York, on the grounds of the Pentagon, in the fields near Shanks Ville, Pennsylvania, from all across America and the world, kindness poured forth on a colossal scale. For on a day when terrorists refused to see our common humanity, we saw only the humanity in one another. This museum, built on the site of rubble and ruins, is now filled with the faces, the stories and the memories of our common grief and our common hope.

It is a witness to tragedy. It is an affirmation of human life. It is a reminder to us and to all future generations that freedom carries heavy responsibilities. And it is a reflection of our belief that the true hope of humanity resides in our compassion and kindness for one another. Walking through this museum can be difficult at times, but it is impossible to leave without feeling inspired.

Each story here beats with a human heart which, if we allow it, touches our own. The stories are the proof that what we do and the choices we make affect each other's lives and the course of human history. This morning, we'd like to share just a few of these stories the museum tells.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Thank you. Please be seated. Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Cuomo, honored guests, families of the fallen, in those awful moments after the south tower was hit, some of the injured huddled in the wreckage of the 78th floor. The fires were spreading. The air was filled with smoke. It was dark. They could barely see. It seemed as if there was no way out. And then there came a voice. Clear, calm, saying he had found the stairs.

A young man, in his 20s, strong. Emerged from the smoke, and over his nose and his mouth, he wore a red handkerchief. He called for fire extinguishers to fight back the flames. He attended to the wounded. He led those survivors down the stairs to safety and carried a woman on his shoulders down 17 flights. Then he went back, back up all those flights, then back down again, bringing more wounded to safety.

Until that moment when the tower fell. They didn't know his name. They didn't know where he came from. But they knew their lives had been saved by the man in the red bandana. Again, Mayor Bloomberg, distinguished guests, Mayor De Blasio, Governors Christie and Cuomo, the families and survivors of that day, to all those who responded with such courage, on behalf of Michelle and myself and the American people, it is an honor for us to join in your memories, to recall and to reflect.

But above all, to reaffirm the true spirit of 9/11. Love, compassion, sacrifice and to enshrine it forever in the heart of our nation. Michelle and I just had the opportunity to join with others on a visit with some of the survivors and families, men and women who inspire us all, and we had the chance to visit some of the exhibits. And I think all who come here will find it to be a profound and moving experience.

I want to express our deep gratitude to everybody who was involved in this great undertaking, for bringing us to this day, for giving us this sacred place of healing and of hope. Here at this memorial, at this museum, we come together. We stand in the footprints of two mighty towers graced by the rush of eternal waters.

We look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls, men and women and children of every race, every creed, from every corner of the world. We can touch their names and hear their voices and glimpse the small items that speak to the beauty of their lives. A wedding ring, a dusty helmet, a shining badge. Here we tell their story so that generations yet unborn will never forget.

Of co-workers who led others to safety, the passengers who stormed the cockpit, our men and women in uniform who rushed into an inferno, our first responders who charged up those stairs. A generation of service members, our 9/11 generation, who have served with honor in more than a decade of war, a nation that stands tall and united and unafraid because no act of terror can match the strength or the character of our country.

Like the great wall and bedrock that embrace us today, nothing can ever break us. Nothing can change who we are as Americans. On that September morning, Allison Crowther lost her son, wells. Months later, she was reading the newspaper, an article about those final minutes in the towers. Survivors recounted how a young man wearing a red handkerchief had let them to safety. And in that moment, Allison knew.

Ever since he was a boy, her son had always carried a red handkerchief. Her son, Wells, was the man in the red bandana. Wells was just 24 years old. With a broad smile and a bright future. He worked in the south tower on the 104th floor. He had a big laugh, a joy of life and dreams of seeing the world. He worked in finance, but he had also been a volunteer firefighter.

And after the planes hit, he put on that bandana and spent his final moments saving others. Three years ago this month, after our SEALs made sure that justice was done, I came to ground zero. And among the families here that day was Allison Crowder. And she told me about Wells and his fearless spirit, and she showed me a handkerchief like the one he wore that morning.

And today, as we saw on our tour, one of his red handkerchiefs is on display in this museum. And from this day forward, all those who come here will have a chance to know the sacrifice of a young man who, like so many, gave his life so others might live. Those we lost live on in us. In the families who love them still, in the friends who remember them always, and in a nation that will honor them now and forever.

And today it is my honor to introduce two women forever bound by that day united in their determination to keep alive the true spirit of 9/11. Wells Crowther's mother, Allison, and one of those he saved, Ling Young.

LING YOUNG, ESCAPED WTC SOUTH TOWER SKY LOBBY: My name is Ling Young. I'm here today because of Wells, a man I did not get the chance to thank. It was very hard for me to come here today, but I wanted to do so I could say thank you to his parents and my new friends, Jeff and Alison.

ALISON CROWTHER, SON DIED AFTER SAVING SEVERAL PEOPLE ON 9/11: Thank you. I am Wells Crowther's mother, Alison. My husband, Jefferson, and I could not be more proud of our son. For us, he lives on in the people he helped and in the memory of what he chose to do that Tuesday in September. Wells believes that we are all connected as one human family that we are here to look out for and to care for one another.

This is life's most precious meaning. It is our greatest hope that when people come here and see Wells' red bandana, they will remember how people helped each other that day. And we hope that they will be inspired to do the same in ways both big and small. This is the true legacy of September 11th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't realize what had happened. Until that afternoon. I had no idea that our son, Todd, was on an airplane. I thought he was in Italy. I was off by a day. You know, we kind of define our history now, don't we, as pre-9/11 and post-9/11. Well, here are some -- here are some bits of a wristwatch. And its function is supposed to be to tell time. And it was a good watch. It did its job very well, but it doesn't tell what time it is anymore. But what it does tell is what time it was. It says it's the 11th. And so this marks the time that the successful counterattack on Flight 93 ended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK: We are all grateful today to the memorial board, the staff and the families for creating this really magnificent memorial. Why don't we give them a round of applause? Todd Beamer's watch was recovered at the site of the crash of Flight 93 near Shanks Ville, Pennsylvania. It was given to this museum by his loving family.

We are honored to have his father, David, with us here today. Todd was one of 40 men and women aboard that plane. Strangers, all bound for San Francisco. They would decide to take fate into their own hands at the probable, if not certain, risk of their own lives. When the hijackers took control of their plane, people began calling family and friends who told them about the other hijacked planes.

None of the passengers had been trained for this kind of scenario, let alone even considered such a nightmare. And yet after talking over what they had learned, they joined with members of the crew to storm the cockpit. And in doing so, they changed the course of history. It was later shown that their actions prevented the plane from reaching the hijackers' intended target, Washington, D.C., a mere 20 minutes away.

In giving their lives, how many lives had they saved? One of the first calls made from the plane had been from Mark Bingham who later helped form the plan they followed. He had called his mother, Alice. And Alice later left him this message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mark, this is your mom. Apparently it's terrorists, and they're hell bent on crashing the aircraft. There's one flight that they say is headed towards San Francisco. It might be yours. So if you can, group some people and perhaps do everything you can to overpower them. Try to call me back if you can. I love you, sweetie. Good luck. Bye-bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE, NEW JERSEY: Good morning. When you walk through this museum, what strikes you is how your emotions can feel sad at one moment, and the very next moment, you feel utterly astonished and grateful at how people from all over the world responded. It was as if the entire world came knocking on our door, cried with us and asked us what they could do.

People from over 90 countries died on September 11th, and so the world understood that while this happened on our soil, it happened to all of us. Letters arrived from Australia and Jordan, gifts from India, Ireland and Kenya, and people from a walks of life and speaking every language came to help us dig out from under and bandage our wounds.

The world felt like a tightly-knit community, a smaller, more caring place. This is how good will begins. In the understanding that we are, underneath all our many differences, fellow men and women with a love and a sanctity for human life. Here in this museum, we are reminded to pause and remember how many came to help us and that the true gift of friendship and fellowship can be born out of the night for which we all remain eternally grateful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I dedicate this song to my late husband, Calvin Joseph Gooding.