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American Morning

Talk with Two Firefighters from Arizona Who Have Worked with New York Colleagues

Aired October 30, 2001 - 09:19   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Game three of the World Series tonight, Yankees Stadium. As you probably know, the Arizona Diamondbacks up two games to zip on the Yankees. Game three coming up tonight. As we said, the president will be in attendance.

While the two cities are rivals on the field, off the field, some firefighters from Arizona have worked side by side with their New York colleagues in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

Captain John Dwyer and firefighter Marty Munoz of the Phoenix Fire Department spent more than a week at ground zero, and they join us from Phoenix this morning to talk about the experience, and their perhaps somewhat conflicted baseball loyalties. And I guess we will begin with the captain.

Good morning to you both, by the way.

CAPT. JOHN DWYER, PHOENIX FIRE DEPARTMENT: Good morning.

MARTY MUNOZ, PHOENIX FIRE DEPARTMENT: How you doing?

O'BRIEN: Captain, first. I guess rank has its privileges. Captain Dwyer, let me ask you this, before you went to New York, what were impressions of the city?

DWYER: Kind of a big impersonal, busy kind of metropolis, a place I never thought I'd ever go see, and really planned to go see, to be honest with you, so I learned a lot while I was there and really changed a lot of opinions I've had.

O'BRIEN: Well, certainly not a typical trip to New York by any means normal times, but I'm curious if what you encountered was very different than you expected?

DWYER: Very, very much so. Not only just the level of destruction at the Trade Center, but many of the people that we dealt with. I had a lot of preconceived ideas that were changed in the process, and my heart really goes out to all the New Yorkers that suffered a loss, from the firefighters, police, EMTs, and all the workers in buildings, the families. Just the amount of damage was just so overwhelming it will live with me forever.

O'BRIEN: Marty, let's send it over to you if we could for a moment.

I want to ask if you remember specific instances, where you were sort of touched by the spirit of New Yorkers, and perhaps surprised by it.

MUNOZ: Yes, for me, you know, being there in the city itself, overwhelming. It's a very big city, a city that I never intended on ever going to. But I look back, and I think it is a city I definitely want to go back and see. The people are very personable, open armed, and very, very welcoming. They looked at us as people that were there to help, and that was our job basically.

O'BRIEN: Did you have much opportunity, Marty, to breakaway from that terribly grim task, which you were assigned to accomplish?

MUNOZ: Yes, we did. We had an R&R day, which is kind of a rest and relaxation day, and it was kind of a crammed in one day, up to about 10, maybe 10 hours worth, walked around city, got to view a little bit of it. Very beautiful city, very big city, did as much as we could. People noticed us in areas that we went to, and as I was saying before, very open armed, very welcoming.

O'BRIEN: All right, which brings us to the World Series now that we have the back story. Captain Dwyer, clearly, a Diamondbacks fan. We have to make that assumption going into this up until September 11th, you probably wouldn't have thought twice about hating the Yankees in this episode. Now you're more conflicted. Tell us what's on your mind.

DWYER: Well, I wouldn't say hating the Yankees is the way I thought about it. Maybe disliking them would be more appropriate. You know, with the Diamondbacks' short history and stuff, and with the way the series has played out, I'm just really tickled pink to be in the situation where we are at. The Yankees, they are a good team, they are top of the game, they're really a team to be well respected, so I'm just anxious to see how this thing whole turns out to be honest with you.

O'BRIEN: Yes? You sort of waffled a little bit on me there. Come on, let's -- what are you going to say here? There have been interesting discussions in the firehouse in between calls on this whole matter.

DWYER: My heart goes out to all firefighter brothers in New York City, but there is no doubt in my mind, go Diamondbacks.

O'BRIEN: Go Diamondbacks, he says. All right, Marty, what about you? Have you changed allegiances in any way? Does it soften your ravenous support of the Diamondbacks in anyway?

MUNOZ: Well, you know, I'm a hometown fan as well, like Captain John was saying, but I look back, and I think, well, you know, they are a young team, the D'backs, and the Yankees have been there at least 26 times. Time for a new era, time for new change, but, you know, I feel for the firefighters as well, and I know that they are pushing for their guys. I know the Yankees definitely want to win, because definitely what's happened, I know it's a big push for them, but you know, we have a little bet going on with Company Ladder 33 in New York City with our station, and we are going to trade shirts, and we are going to see who is going to win each others' shirts, so I'm looking forward to getting a New York shirt.

O'BRIEN: I just got to ask before we get away, do you feel in a way this makes it more -- you have a more connection to this World Series than you might any other sporting event?

MUNOZ: I believe so, definitely. It is -- from what has happened, where we have been, what we have done, definitely a connection.

O'BRIEN: Captain, do you agree?

DWYER: Very much so, yes.

O'BRIEN: All right, Captain John Dwyer, firefighter Marty Munoz. Both of them still Dimondbacks fans we are told, Paula, but nevertheless...

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, listen the key question is, will Marty wear that New York shirt when it's sent to him from the ladder company in New York?

MUNOZ: You bet.

ZAHN: That's assuming you guys are going to get beaten here of course. Will you wear it proudly?

MUNOZ: If I don't, I will send them two for one. If we lose, we'll send them two for one.

O'BRIEN: We will check in with you guys.

ZAHN: That's a deal.

O'BRIEN: We are going to check in with you guys. Good to hear from you, and enjoy watching the game. We appreciate it.

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