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American Morning
Interview of Suzanne Berger
Aired December 18, 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Suzanne Berger's husband, Jim, died a hero on September 11th. He was lost in the World Trade Center, but not before he made sure 156 others got out alive. Berger was an insurance executive, but in his final moments, he became a true rescue worker. When Jim's obituary appeared in the "New York Times," it mentioned how much he loved Bruce Springsteen.
Well soon, the "Boss," the man whose voice and music was one of a kind to Jim Berger, touched the Berger family in his own way, and Jim Berger's widow, Suzanne, joins us this morning from her home in Yardley, Pennsylvania. Thank you very much for being with us this morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE BERGER, WIFE OF JIM BERGER: Hi, Paula.
ZAHN: Before we talk about the Boss, tell us a little bit more about your husband and the phone call he made to you on September 11th. What did he say to you?
BERGER: I got a phone call at 8:48 that morning, and Jim had told me that something had happened in the other building. The lights had gone out. There were a lot of things going on, and he felt the need to get his people out of that building, and he said he would call me as soon as he got down to the ground, and, in his own style, he was so calm about it that it took me two minutes before I actually turned on CNN and realized that there was an explosion in that building, and I saw the black smoke, and then a few minutes later I actually saw the smoke from the second building and realized that I was watching his building now on fire. So I never did hear from him after that, but he did, in his own way, try to -- again, just calm my fears, and let me know that everything was going to be okay, and he would call me. So that was the last I heard from him.
ZAHN: But he was also given credit for helping save 156 other people. What did you later learn about his actions, and how he saved those lives?
BERGER: It was awesome. He -- he just kept loading his people onto the elevators, and they said, "well, Jim, they called the evacuation off. I don't think we need to get out," and he said, "yes, you do, you do," and he kept putting them, one after another into the elevator and he kept turning around and going back in to that office, and as soon as he would find another person, he'd put them back on the elevator, and the last person that saw him was ex-secretary, and she said, "Jim, I'm really scared," and he said, "it's going to be okay. You go on. I'll be down after you. I just want to check."
So, it really was -- he was just called to save those people that day, and, you know, he is their hero. He's my hero, and he was a savior that day.
ZAHN: Have you heard from many of those people whose lives he saved? Or --
BERGER: Yes, I have.
ZAHN: Yeah, because I assume most of them knew, then, if they were the ones he loaded up into the elevator.
BERGER: Oh, yeah. I mean --
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: They must feel so grateful.
BERGER: Yeah. They are so grateful. And the neat thing about me is that because he did travel, and he worked with AM (ph) company, and traveled all over the country, so many people have sent me letters about Jim and how there was not a doubt in their minds that he would have saved all of his employees that day. He always put other people first, and that was the first thing that went through my head, when Jim's name was not appearing on the safe lists, was that he was helping people get out of the building. I had no doubt in my mind that's what he was doing. So, you know, the people he saved, the people he worked with, he's incredible. He really is. He's quite an inspiration to me.
ZAHN: And I think to all of us. What a legacy.
BERGER: Yeah.
ZAHN: Now, the "New York Times" ran an obituary, and I think we've all been moved by these obituaries, and they talked about Jim having grown up along the Jersey shore, and having been a Bruce Springsteen fan for as long as anybody could remember, and then what happened? Bruce Springsteen actually read that obituary, and that's the point at which you heard from him?
BERGER: Right, and then he called me. He actually called me and he said he was very moved by the article and he wanted to know more about Jim Berger. He wanted to know more about this man. He said, you know, you write music, and you want to touch the lives of so many people, and it's just incredible when you realize what an impact that you've had in someone's life. And I said, you know, he's my hero. He is my son's hero, I said, but you are really one of his heroes, and I said, you know, I thank you for giving him that, and he's just, you know, he's been inspired by Jim, he actually sent us a videotape to play on October 5th at Jim's memorial service. Jim's favorite song was "Thunder Road," and from his studio, he actually said, "this is a present, Suzanne, Nicholas, Alex, Christian, and this is for your dad, I heard this was his favorite song." And then he went into his own rendition of "Thunder Road". It was beautiful. It was really beautiful, and just one of the many things that have touched our lives since September 11th. Just the outpouring of all this kindness. I really seen the goodness in this evil. I really have.
ZAHN: Well, what a wonderful gift on Bruce Springsteen's part.
BERGER: Awesome.
ZAHN: He also -- did he also -- he also gave you a harmonica, is that true too?
BERGER: He did, he actually gave the boys this harmonica. This is what he recorded the song with that day. So he sent them the harmonica. Yeah. It's just one thing after another, and then said, I would love for you to come and -- come to one of my concerts, and last Friday night he invited us. We met him back stage. We gave him a picture that we wanted, and then he asked the boys if they wanted to come on stage with him at the end, and it was quite an experience for me. To sit back and watch them on stage with my husband's idol, basically, in the music world. I knew my husband was smiling down on them, and it was like they were making one of his dreams come true, and I'm very grateful to Bruce Springsteen and his family for that.
ZAHN: Well, Susanne, we are grateful to you for sharing this very personal story with us this morning, and I think you've better -- helped us all better understand how the tragedy sometimes ends up inspiring some of these wonderful things you've experienced over the last couple of days with your family, and what a tribute -- fitting tribute to Jim Berger, your husband.
BERGER: Yeah. It is. And even this weekend, I'll be carrying the Olympic torch in his honor, and just to add to the surrealness of this whole experience, I really feel that we've been blessed. Now in his honor, I can carry the Olympic torch and just know, again, that he's looking down on us, and you know, he's this whole experience has strengthened my faith in God, and what we're supposed to be here for, now, just to be better people, and I feel very proud to be an American. I really do. Very proud to be part of this country.
ZAHN: Well, I think your three children are very lucky to be sons to you and to be a part of your family. Our thoughts are with you, and we'll be proud of you when you hold that Olympic torch. Let me tell you, there's nothing more meaningful than running with that, and we'll try to get some pictures of you on videotape, and we'll get those back to your family as well.
BERGER: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: Suzanne, thank you again for your time. Appreciate it very much.
BERGER: Okay. Bye-bye.
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