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CNN Live At Daybreak

New Heroes Emerge from September 11 Attacks

Aired November 09, 2001 - 06:56   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, before September 11, if you asked someone who their hero was they might have named a celebrity, an athlete or an actor. Today, Bruce Morton explains, there is a new breed of hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Our heroes for years have been celebrities, like the ones at the Oscar ceremonies. That may be changing now. The new heroes are ordinary Americans, police, firefighters, flight attendants, postal workers. September 11's terror and the response to it made the difference.

ALIN BOSWELL, U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT ATTENDANT: People pay more attention to us. They're a little bit more respectful. They ask us, really, how are you doing and it's more heartfelt than rushing by with a simple hello.

MORTON: Evidence, sure. Kids at Halloween parties dressed as firefighters, rescue workers. The president of the United States throwing the first pitch at Yankee Stadium wearing a New York Fire Department jacket -- new heroes.

BARRETT BLAKE: I think that we are definitely looking up to a new hero. Like I would see a fire truck before on the street, I wouldn't think much about it. Now I see one and I make sure to give them a little wave or a little thumbs up.

MORTON: The new heroes have noticed the new treatment since the terror.

EDWARD FLYNN, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA POLICE: One of the positive things they saw was that human beings were capable of enormous courage and self-sacrifice and that many of those human beings were wearing uniforms. I think there was a moment of moral clarity that day, good and evil were in high relief (ph).

ARDIE IVIE: Putting yourself at risk in the interest of some higher ideal, I think that defines a hero.

MORTON: Maybe that hasn't changed and we've just noticed who the real heroes are.

KIERSTEN WARREN: There was this fixation on celebrity and this was the only heroes that kid had be it your musicians or actors, and you know, it's really sweet to see them now take a second look and go, oh my goodness, it's a -- it's fireman, it's a -- it's a policeman, it's your every day -- it could be my dad.

MORTON: New heroes.

Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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