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CNN Saturday Morning News

Americans Remember 9/11 Tragedies; Widow's Organization Aids Afghan 'Sisters'; Preview Of 9/11 Memorial Ceremonies Today On The Ninth Anniversary Of The Attacks; Museum Director Explains Meaning Of Memorial Pools, 'Reflecting Absence'

Aired September 11, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody, and welcome to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

You're looking at the New York skyline this morning, a skyline that was forever changed some nine years ago today. We'll be taking you live to New York City throughout the morning.

In New York City, at Ground Zero specifically, is where family members of those killed on this day nine years ago will start gathering in just a bit, about an hour from now, for the memorial service at Ground Zero, to commemorate this 9/11 ceremony.

We will also be taking you to the Pentagon and also Shanksville, Pennsylvania, two other places where people were killed on this day some nine years ago.

Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes, and welcome to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We will, of course, be looking back at what happened nine years ago.

But we'll also be looking forward. We'll check in with the memorial at Ground Zero to see about the progress there. And also, we'll see about the process and the progress that many family members have possibly made some nine years after that tragedy on 9/11.

Like we mentioned, in New York, ceremonies are going to be held there. Going to be held at a park adjacent to the World Trade Center site. Now, this is just kind of a rundown of what's going to be happening today. And we'll certainly be covering most of this for you live.

The program in New York, at least, specifically begins at 8:40 Eastern time. And then six minutes later, the first four moments of silence going to be observed. That time, 8:46, is when the first place struck the North Tower in New York City.

Then at 8:47, families will begin entering the World Trade Center site.

Then at 9:03, the second moment of silence will be observed. That is the time the second plane hit the South Tower.

Then at 9:59 a.m., the third moment of silence. That is when the South Tower fell.

Then at 10:28, the fourth moment of silence in New York. That is going to be commemorating the fall of the North Tower.

Again, the program scheduled to wrap up somewhere around noon.

The vice president, Joe Biden, will be attending the events in New York City. President Obama will be making remarks at the Pentagon. That's where 184 people died. The president's remarks are scheduled to start at 9:40 Eastern time; we will be covering that for you live.

Meanwhile, the first lady, Michelle Obama, and the former first lady Laura Bush, will both be at the ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. They'll both speak there. Michelle Obama will speak around 10:40 a.m. Eastern time. We will bring you those remarks live as well.

Well, as we continue on this day now, want to tell you first about an artist who painstakingly memorialized some of the 343 firefighters who died in the 9/11 tragedy. That was an entire engine company now preserved on canvas.

And the ceremony revealing the portraits at the firehouse where they worked caused a flood of emotions.

Our Sarah Wallace of our affiliate WABC was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

SARAH WALLACE, WABC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The emotions surfaced well before the unveiling of this collective canvas, a portrait of the 15 firefighters from Engine Company 54, Ladder Company 4 in Midtown, lost on 9/11.

(APPLAUSE)

WALLACE: The painting a donation from the non-profit organization Hero Portraits, which enlists various artists to memorialize fallen heroes.

Founder and artist Darrell Lynn, from Nashville, began working on the firehouse project four months ago. The group portrait will replace these individual photos that now hang on this wall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our portraits are painted. And then we do the cleanup and I do the touchup of the eyes, of the facial features, to make it as perfect as we possibly can, keeping in mind it's portrait painted from scratch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Eslidge (ph). Leonard J. Brugalia (ph).

WALLACE: What the family members of the 15 firefighters did not know ahead of time is that they would be carrying home their own portrait of the one they loved and lost.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought he was going to come home. By looking at that picture, it looked like he was coming home today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He looks like he's going to jump off the page of paper. It's beautiful. It means a lot to me. It's so nice, so nice to know that people still care and think about us. You can't not look in his eyes and feel how much he loved us. That's - every time I look at it.

WALLACE (on camera): It really shows your daddy's spirit, doesn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It really shows who he is, and what he did that day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gosh, it's my dad. It looks like him and I can see the - I can see the look in his eyes.

WALLACE: Does this get any easier?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This time of year is exhausting. But it's - it's necessary. You know, we don't want people to forget. We don't want to forget ourselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right.

And, of course, everyone out there remembers where they were when they first learned that the planes had hit the towers. And we asked our viewers to comment, send in their thoughts and those feelings about that moment. We're going to be sharing some of their memories, coming up next.

It's five minutes past the hour. We're just getting started here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As I'm looking at this, I'm like, 'Wow, everything in Army, in the whole armed forces in the world, has just changed.' Because I know once you saw that - you know, we were at war with somebody, you know? Something, somewhere is - is going to happen, and very fast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the second plane hit and they started talking about another place in Philadelphia where another plane went down, I started processing, 'We just got attacked. Someone just attacked the United States.' (END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: It crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, near the town of Shanksville.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoever's responsible for this is - is going to pay on - on a great scale. Life as we know it and that protected life that everybody knew is no longer there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And soldiers there remembering what was going on with them on September 11.

Josh here with me now. It's always best - I think everybody remembers exactly where they were, what they were doing when they first heard, or maybe even watching TV at the time.

But it's always interesting to hear people's stories.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It is. And now, for the first time, all these years later, it's the first time I've ever heard from the group of kids I'm going to show you now.

They were in a high school in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, literally seconds from where the plane crashed. They saw the fireball; they heard the sound.

Here is what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember watching the TV and watching the World Trade Towers (sic) being hit, and thinking, 'This can't be happening here. This is America. This happens in other places. We're - we're untouchable.'

And just that sense of security kind of being rocked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When it happened, it was, you know, a big fireball. It shook the building.

It scared me to see my classmates underneath desks and taking cover. Like, what's going to fall from the sky next?

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEVS: That was the first time I've heard from them. That's from the National Park Service.

Now, as we look at that kind of thing, we've also been reaching out to you, asking you your thoughts on this anniversary, what the day means to you. Has it changed your life all these years later? When you look back, what do you now understand that maybe you didn't at the time?

Let me get to a few of these.

We're going to start off with Susan, who wrote us this - Susan writes this: "I felt so utterly powerless and terrified. Even though I was safe in Ohio, I wanted to do three things: donate blood, hold a baby and pray for those souls who lost their lives. I still get very emotional. I will never forget."

From another viewer, Michael Cottingham: "We have grown so much as a country. We're still struggling with prejudices, the importance of national security and civil liberties. Overall, we are stronger than we were on 9/10. I am proud of where we are and who we are as a nation."

Now from Jill O'Steen: "I remember the stupor we were all in when my boss came in with an update. I asked about the second tower, and he just said, 'It's gone.' For months, I couldn't stand the sound of an airplane."

We got time for a couple more here. Let's look at Leslie Wolf. She writes us this: "I was closing the gate to my house at 8:30 to go to work, when I looked up at the crystal-clear sky and had an awful sense of foreboding. I remember thinking that there are no clouds, that the sky was the limit for good and evil. I get chill bumps remembering my exact thoughts."

And finally from Jason. A couple notes from him that he wrote me on Facebook. He says, "9/11 brought Islam into my consciousness and made me aware of who Muslims were." And then he says, "My son had just been born a couple weeks earlier, and I remember thinking that all I wanted to do was go home and protect him and his mother in case all hell broke loose."

Here's how you can join the discussion all morning long. You got my pages here. We're talking at Facebook and Twitter throughout the show. I'm at joshlevscnn. Weigh in with your thoughts, your memories and what 9/11 means to you all these years later.

T.J., I'll be keeping an eye on what our viewers say all morning long.

HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate you, as always, this morning.

LEVS: You got it.

HOLMES: Thank you. LEVS: Sure.

HOLMES: Well, here we are 12 minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Coming up next, we'll be talking to a woman who lost her husband on September 11. But now, she's helping other widows who live halfway around the world, who was recently honored by President Obama for her efforts. We're going to be speaking to her about her organization, called "Beyond the 11th."

Stay with us.

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HOLMES: A quarter past the hour now here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

I want to take a moment now and talk to a woman who lost her husband on this day. Her name is Susan Retik. And she was pregnant at the time with her third child when her husband, David, was killed. He was American Airlines - he was on that Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center.

Well, she's found a way now to begin healing by helping other women, women who are halfway around the world.

She's on the phone with us this morning to talk about a non- profit organization she co-founded called Beyond the 11th.

Miss Retik, thank you for being here with us this morning.

Tell me first of all, do these days, year after year, these anniversaries - do they get any easier?

SUSAN RETIK, HUSBAND WAS KILLED ON 9/11 (via telephone): I don't know if they get any easier, but they - they definitely changed as my children get older. Their understanding of September 11th changes. And so, you know, it definitely changes for me each year.

HOLMES: Is - is that the - the really the - the - the difficult part, or it has been over the years, is getting the children through it each year?

RETIK: I don't know what the difficult part - I have so many people to worry about me - my kids, my in-laws, my family. You know, it - yes, there's a lot to - there's a lot to think about every year.

HOLMES: And ma'am, we're showing some pictures - we're certainly going to be talking about your non-profit work here.

But you were pregnant at the time with your husband's child, a child now who has never gotten to know Dad.

What's been like over the years telling that child, year after year, and explaining kind of 9/11? RETIK: Well, it's something that you live with from Day One, so it's not like we have to re-explain it each year per se. And, you know, I've - I've since gotten remarried and had another child.

So we live a very full, happy life. And, you know, the sadness of that day will never go away; she'll always miss her - her biological father. And, you know, we miss him all the time.

But, you know, people have tragedies and - and you move through it. And that's we've tried to do with Beyond the 11th.

HOLMES: Beyond the 11th, for our viewers - explain what you were hoping to do with your non-profit.

RETIK: Well, Beyond the 11th was founded not long after my husband was killed, because we received so much support, you know, after he was killed. And I - I felt that support and it helped me get through such a difficult time.

And when I looked across to our sisters in Afghanistan and realized that as a result of, you know, the United States invading Afghanistan, there were going to be more widows just like us, and there were going to be more devastated children, just like mine. And I thought, 'Maybe I could reach out to help one woman the way so many people had helped - helped me.' And maybe I could, you know, provide shelter for - over her head and food for her and her children.

And so Beyond the 11th began. And our mission is to help widows affected by war and terrorism. And we do that by making grants to different non-governmental organizations that focus on income- generating programs so that the women can learn a skill and become independent.

The idea kind of snowballed. Like I said, we thought maybe we would help one woman and her family. And then I realized, we could help many more. And so why not five or 50 or 500?

And I'm really proud of the work that we've done. We've given out grants totaling over $600,000 to date. And, you know, it's - it's really excited to see that just - you know, an idea can turn into something so powerful, where we truly are helping so many people.

HOLMES: And ma'am, you called them "sisters." You really feel a connection to these women.

RETIK: Well, of course.

You know, a woman is a woman no matter where she lives, and we're connected by our shared humanity. I believe with all my hear that the terrorists that attacked the United States may not literally have been the same ones that terrorized the Afghan widows, but, you know, it's very difficult to be a woman in Afghanistan, and specifically, being widowed provides its unique challenges.

It's a desperate situation for a woman without a husband in Afghanistan, without that head of household. You know, under the Taliban, girls were not allowed to go to school; women were not allowed to work. Women weren't even allowed to walk down the street without a male escort. And so when a husband dies, then what happens?

And, you know, they don't have life insurance. Their homes are not - when a husband dies, the home gets passed to his male relatives. And, you know, 85 to 90 percent of all Afghan women are illiterate. And so how do you provide for yourself and your family?

And - and what I have found - I mean, I believe this with all my heart - is that, I might not speak the same language as these women; I might not wear the same clothes as these women; but without a doubt, we want all the same things for our kids. We want to live in peace and security; we want food; we want shelter; we want education and health care for our kids. These are basic things.

And I feel this connection with these women. And, you know, nine years later, we have to remember that they still deserve our attention. And, you know, we - we rid the Taliban of Afghanistan. They're back. And we need to continue to work hard on - on their behalf.

HOLMES: Well, Susan Retik, it's great work that you are doing and some great points you made in there at the same time. 9/11 certainly changed the lives and changed this country and - and changed the lives of Americans in a lot of ways. But the lives of people in Afghanistan were changed as well because of what happened on this day.

Ma'am, we appreciate you taking some time with us. Good luck today. You have the bike ride coming up today as well. What time are you guys getting started?

RETIK: We do. We set off at 9 a.m. We have a big fundraiser.

And another way people can always help is if they host the screening of the documentary "Beyond Belief" that was made about our work. It follows us here in the United States as well as our trip to Afghanistan. And you can do a screening in your home; it's a great way to learn more about our - Beyond the 11th to help us fundraise.

HOLMES: Well, Susan Retik, ma'am, thank you so much for your time. And again, good luck again today with the ride. Great work that you are doing and reminding people that there are others, including in Afghanistan, whose lives were changed this day as well.

Ma'am, thank you so much.

RETIK: Thank you very much.

HOLMES: All right.

Well, 21 minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING now.

We're going to turn to a couple of headlines coming up after the break, including headlines that were made by one man who planned, yes, to burn the Koran. Well, there he is. Some new video of him and he has left Gainesville, Florida, where his church is. We'll tell you and show you where he showed up and possibly why he's there.

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HOLMES: Well, a live picture this morning. Twenty-three minutes past the hour. The camera's moving around there a bit there at Ground Zero. But yes, that is a live picture of Ground Zero in New York.

That huge opening right now - right there at the bottom of your screen - that is one of the footprints of the Twin Towers. That is one - where one of them once stood. But we're keeping a close eye, of course. We've got a memorial service going to be getting under way here in just a bit. Families are expecting to start arriving in about 35 minutes from now. We'll certainly be keeping a close eye. We'll be taking you there live throughout the morning.

Of course, the Pentagon in Washington; also in Pennsylvania, Shanksville, where that third hijacked plane crashed. We'll be taking you there for live ceremonies as well.

But again, here we are now nine years after the tragedy of 9/11.

And we're going to take a look now at a couple of other stories that are making headlines, including the story of this guy, this Terry Jones, this pastor. Well, he is out of Shanksville - no, not Shanksville, out of Gainesville, Florida, right now.

There he is. These are pictures of this pastor who planned to burn the Koran. Those plans, we're told, now on hold. But he's in New York. He's in New York City. This is video, the chaos last night as he arrived there. But he was hoping and telling the world, really, that he was going to be meeting with the imam who was trying to build that Islamic center and mosque that is near Ground Zero. That imam, however, saying there is no meeting scheduled at all.

Now, Jones there, as you saw, him being really surrounded by reporters. Yes, you look at the chaos here, everybody trying to get a shot, trying to get a comment. Well, he said he really didn't have anything to say right now. We'll see what happens in New York.

Let's turn now to California now. Federal investigators are on the scene there in San Bruno. We've been watching these pictures the last couple of days. That natural-gas pipeline explosion and fire that killed four people, including a mother and her 13-year-old daughter, destroyed several homes. Fifty-two people injured.

A 30-inch transmission pipeline ruptured. This investigation is going on now, going to be going on for quite some time. But we continue to get updates. We'll pass them along to you as we get them.

Also, we've been told that the release of an American hiker from a prison in Iran has now been canceled. You see her there. She's one of three Americans being held, being held for more than a year. Now, this has gone on really back and forth. They were charged with spying, and we had gotten word that possibly the female was going to be released this weekend. And then Iran came out and said the judicial process has not been completed. We're also today that the young lady is now in poor health. There are some concerns for her. She has fallen ill and possibly a lump has been found in her breast as well.

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***30 T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: A live picture this morning, again, from ground zero in New York City. You see at the bottom of your screen there, that is literally one of the footprints where one of the towers once stood. That is going to be made now into a waterfall, if you will, as part of the memorial there at ground zero.

But family members are going to start gathering down here in the next half hour for the ceremony that's going to start around 8:30. Then officially at 8:40 get under way for four separate moments of silence to commemorate when those towers were hit by those planes, and also when those towers came down.

But the place you're looking, right there, is where 2,752 people were killed nine years ago today.

So many people tried to get so far away from those towers, trying to get as far away as possible o that day. There were several others who were drawn to it, who went right in there. Some of them, the heroes of 9/11, the first responders, the firefighters, the police officers, but also a lot of journalists went right down there, including many members of CNN's staff. One of them was our Field Producer Rose Arce.

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ROSE ARCE, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: When I got outside I saw everybody looking up towards the sky. And I started running Downtown toward the buildings. And I got maybe a block or two before I saw there was a motorist stopped on the corner. So I jumped up to her window and just waved my CNN I.D. in her face, and said give me a ride, give me a ride. She let me in the car.

I got within a few blocks of the World Trade Center when suddenly there was this second, sort of warn (ph) that came out of the sky. And everybody looked right up and another plane came and just barreled into the other tower.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And Rose is with me now from New York.

Rose, good morning to you. Thank you for being here.

Just listening to your own words there, as you recall this over the past nine years, I know people have asked you probably to tell the story some time. But what's that like for you to hear it and have to tell it here we are nine years later?

ARCE: Well, it's incredible what the mind does to protect you from having bad memories. I have to say I remember substantial pieces, sort of highlights of what happened that day. But there's parts of it that I really have to make an effort to recall. I have to look back to recall because I think that because I live in the city, and I live downtown like so many people who work at CNN, you can't just be walking by something every day and allow your mind to go there. It took a long time, many, many years before I didn't look up and expect to see the Twin Towers there, much less remember what had happened to them.

HOLMES: Now do, you find that that day -- I mean, you know how we get sometimes in this business. We don't even notice what's happening and take the moment in. Rather, we get right to work. What did you find that you were doing that day? It's hard to ignore the danger that was around you, but at the same time we often think we have a job to do when we get there on the scene as reporters.

ARCE: I think that for a lot of the time as I was making my way down there I was very much on autopilot. I had covered the first attack on the Twin Towers, the bombing in the basement. So my instinct was to do what I had done the first time. To get as close as I possibly could to the scene, to try to get information back to the office.

I don't think it was until the second plane came in and I saw the reactions of the people around me that it occurred to me that it was something on a much grander scale.

HOLMES: Did you or at what point did you feel that you were in danger?

ARCE: I think that was it. I think at that moment I realized there was an enormous risk to covering this. I wasn't really quite sure what to do. In fact, what my objective was to get inside the Twin Towers, to try to get there while there was still access, talk to the people who were leaving.

I stopped myself, partly because I had, you know, because of the second plane. And probably because my cell phone stopped working. There were so many people trying to call out, so many people trying to call family members, et cetera, that their service was overloaded.

So I got with a gentleman who was videotaping his daughter's first day of school so he had a camera and asked him if he would share his footage with us. He said I live right here, he lived in a building just a block up from where, you know, the complex started.

And we went to his top floor apartment to watch it from there because I knew I could use his landline. It's really, you know, only because of that that I ended up staying away from ground zero itself. I mean, I was, you know--I could have very easily have been there like a lot of people running in that direction. HOLMES: New Yorkers are known, I certainly spent a whole lot of time in New York. New Yorkers are pretty resilient bunch. Not going to take much of anything from anybody. Help people across this country understand. Everybody stops for a moment and remembers and pauses. But for New Yorkers, how are New Yorkers doing this day? Explain that to the rest of the country, if you can.

ARCE: I think it's very much a different day, a special day in New York every year when this happens. There's always something that draws you in to the commemoration, even if you actively try to avoid it. For me last night I was walking home after being out to dinner and they have these blue lights that they shine into the sky to sort of commemorate the towers. I saw the blue lights. I had a moment of thinking, I wonder what am I going to say if my daughter asks me what that's about, how do you explain this? And immediately it sort of brings you back. I think people are a little different on this day. It's quieter Downtown, to be sure.

HOLMES: Right.

ARCE: You know, the commemoration that's going on is all over television. There's really no way to avoid thinking about it. I think we all look back and say, oh, where was I on that day? Who did I lose on that day? How has the world been altered since then? You just can't help yourself.

HOLMES: Rose Arce, we appreciate you taking time out with us this morning. Again, Rose is one of our best and brightest around here, one of our senior producers in our "IN AMERICA" unit, now, but that day out there field producing.

Rose, appreciate you. Thank you for coming in this morning.

ARCE: Thank you, T.J.

HOLMES: You're seeing some of the live pictures. We'll be sharing those with you throughout the morning of what's happening down there at ground zero and other places. Shanksville, we will take you there live. Also to the Pentagon, all these places where ceremonies will be happening today to remember the victims of this day nine years ago.

We know how we remember 9/11 in this country, but for other parts of the world, what do they do on this day? Do they pause for a moment, as well, to remember the victims of 9/11? We'll show you what the rest of the world is doing. It's 37 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.

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HOLMES: It is 39 minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

As we know, almost 3,000 people died in those September 11th attacks. Those 3,000 people were from 90 different countries. So how is the rest of the world observing this 9/11 anniversary? Let's turn to our senior editorial producer, been contributing to our show here on the weekends, Nadia Bilchik joins me now.

We know what we're doing here this day, ceremonies in Washington, New York, Shanksville, Pennsylvania. What is the rest of the world-do they stop for a moment and remember?

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: I would say. Although a lot of what we are hearing has been hijacked by the Koran burning saga, unfortunately. But that's really dominated a lot of the international news and newspapers from the Hindu in India to Scottish newspapers. That's been the story at the moment.

But interesting to think that 67 British subjects were killed on 9/11; 24 from Canada, around 41 from India, 24 Japan, five Israelis, 10 Italians. When you think 41 Indians, but when you read each profile of every single person who died, and you hear about this young man who was killed on 9/11 and his wife who committed suicide shortly afterwards. Or you read about a Japanese father who was so bereaved by his son's death that he's written "Ode to the Souls of 9/11", a beautiful anthology of poetry. So you look at different people and again, it becomes numbers until you look at the actual individuals.

Because Britain has the largest number of people they actually have a garden in Manhattan. It's called the British Garden at Hanover Square. That's their memorial site. Earlier this year, in July, the queen was here and she officially opened this garden. And what they have is a fence in the garden and they have finials, 67 finials, which are orbs on the top of poles in the shape of the symbol of the United Kingdom. And they're gold plated. The 67 represent the 67 British subjects that were killed and there will be a ceremony there today.

HOLMES: We talk about how the rest of the world might be looking at it. I think we're seeing video here of just what you were talking about. But that's here. That's a memorial they have here in the U.S. But around the world, we don't necessarily see memorials and ceremonies, or any remembrances?

BILCHIK: In Britain, in Grosvenor Square, this afternoon, again, they will have private ceremony for family and friends. I think people individually remember, but there aren't grand memorials, necessarily.

HOLMES: I know you've been keeping an eye on, like you said, the story about the possible burning of the Koran here has been dominating a lot of headlines around the world. But if that story was not taking place, would there be more coverage of 9/11?

BILCHIK: I think there would be mentions. I think there would be mentions of 9/11 because clearly it doesn't matter if you were in Dubai or Durban, everybody in the world remembers where they were on 9/11, and certainly remembered. And we know that the Ede celebrations have been toned down around the world given the fact that there's the 9/11 memorial. But nothing on the scale, of course, here and what one experiences. I wanted to read a quote to you.

HOLMES: Yes, please. BILCHIK: This is from a former Ambassador Titunal (ph), and he said, "On the anniversary of 9/11 what we need to remember is the shared challenge faced by an international community confronting terrorism. And you need to remember it has brought tragedy and terrible grief to innocent people across the world from Indonesia, to Morocco, Spain, Jordan, England, India"--think of Mumbai-"and Egypt. Terrorists have showed no mercy for human life, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion."

HOLMES: That's a good one to end on and to remember. You wanted to make sure you got that in there. And I see why you did as well. Nadia Bilchik, again, our CNN editorial producer here for us. Always joining in contributing to our show. We do appreciate you as always.

BILCHIK: Thank you.

HOLMES: Here we are some nine years later and still a lot of people ask, why is there not an official memorial, or museum at ground zero? We're going to get some answers to that question. We're going to be talking live with the 9/11 Memorial Museum director about the latest on the plans.

That's coming up right after break. It's 43 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It is 44 minutes past the hour now.

Most of this generation will likely always remember where they were and what they were doing when the towers fell. A new memorial and museum set to open next year, going to ensure that the victims and that day will never be forgotten. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum Director Alice Greenwald joins us now from New York City.

Ma'am, thank you so much for being here.

A lot of people who may not have been involved in the process or followed it that closely would think, wait a minute, it's been nine years. Why isn't anything open yet? Let me just let you initially answer that question. What has taken all the time?

ALICE GREENWALD, DIRECTOR, 9/11 MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM: Well, actually a lot has happened in nine years. And when you think about the other memorials that have been built in the last 50 years, most of them have been opened decades after the events they commemorate. The World War II Memorial in Washington, for example, only opened about six years ago, 60 years after the events. The Holocaust Museum in Washington, the same, 30 years after the event.

HOLMES: And I assume you certainly this is one we really, really want to make sure we get it right. So we think next year, we have pretty good confidence, we have a hard opening date for the ground zero, the 9/11 memorial? GREENWALD: We have a hard opening date for the memorial, which will open on the tenth anniversary of the attack, September 11, 2011. The museum will open one year later, 2012.

HOLMES: Now this is not just going to, I need to remind people of this, we think about September 11th but you're also making sure the victims of the other, the 1993 World Trade Center attack are also remembered. Why was it important to make sure they were in here as well?

GREENWALD: Well, absolutely. You know, ground zero, as we know it, the World Trade Center site, was the site of a terrorist attack in 1993. And we don't want to forget those victims as we commemorate the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks, not only in New York, but at the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

HOLMES: Ma'am, I thought one part of the plans that I just found so fascinating are that the footprints of the twin towers are going to be used for huge pools. Why was it important to make sure -- you can't help, that's such a powerful image. I can't imagine going by there and I certainly will and we all will. Why was it important to make sure those footprints were actually used?

GREENWALD: Well, that design, the winning design of an international competition, was called Reflecting Absence. And it was the brilliant plan of a young architect by the name of Michael Arad who worked with Peter Walker Partners on the landscape architecture. The vision was that the World Trade Center site in its heyday was identified by the immense verticality, of those buildings, the sheer height of them. And the pools are really the inverted vertical, the waterfalls drop 30 feet to a reflecting pool. And then the water drops again into a void and disappears. So we have the absence of what was here. And in the contemplation of the absence we remember those who are gone.

HOLMES: What about the actual museum? What do we expect in there?

GREENWALD: The museum, will be, I think, quite extraordinary in that it is three things all at once. It is an archaeological site, with historic assets that you will see in the museum, which is located below the memorial pool, seven stories below ground at the very foundational bed rock at the World Trade Center site. It will be a memorial institution that will commemorate all of the victims who were murdered on 9/11, and in 1993. And it will be an educational institution with a historical exhibition that will tell us not only about the events of 9/11, but about the world on 9/12. And in those days, weeks and months after the event when the world really did come together.

HOLMES: All right. Ma'am, how will you spend your day?

GREENWALD: Well, today is a day for remembrance and for reflection, and for service. You know a year ago President Obama signed into law a legislation that named the day September 11th annually as a day of remembrance and public service. So that we combine both of the associations we make with 9/11, the loss of life, so tragically, and we commemorate those who are gone from us. But we also think about the incredible display of volunteerism, public service, compassion and commitment that was demonstrated not only on the day of 9/11, but months afterward. We would aspire to that as a legacy of 9/11.

HOLMES: Alice Greenwald, we certainly appreciate you taking time with us and updating the viewers. Certainly at a time when they're very curious about how things are going down there with the memorial and the museum. We appreciate you.

GREENWALD: My pleasure. Thank you.

HOLMES: Ten minutes to the top of the hour. Ten minutes until we're expecting families to start showing up and gathering at ground zero for the memorial service that is going to start here in just a bit. Just under two hours from now is when the ceremony will officially begin.

There it is, a live picture as we see the sun beginning to rise and shine on ground zero on this nine-year anniversary. A quick break. We are right back.

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HOLMES: All right. 53 minutes past the hour.

Give you a look now at some of the stories we are keeping an eye on. And people are still keeping an eye on that guy, the Reverend Terry Jones. You know, this is the guy out of Florida who said he wanted to have a burn the Koran day. Supposed to be today. It's not going to happen. He says it's been suspended, not necessarily canceled. But the pictures you're seeing now of the chaos after he arrived yesterday in New York City.

He caused a lot of confusion over the past couple of days because he said that the imam who was behind, you know, the proposed mosque and cultural center at ground zero, he said that imam had promised to move the site and to meet with him. The imam came out and says that's not the case. Now he's in New York. We don't know what's going to happen with this guy. We'll keep an eye on it and let you know anything that you need to know about what he's doing.

Also, Donald Trump, speaking of that proposed Islamic center, he is proposing to buy it. Donald Trump has offered to buy Islamic center and mosque site near ground zero. Some are calling it pathetic. Trump had offered to pay 25 percent more than what the owners paid. It's two blocks, as you know by now, from ground zero. The critics of the center call it an affront to survivors of September 11th. But Donald Trump said last night on CNN's "COOPER: 360" the center is going to be difficult to build.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER: It's going to be very hard to get it built. I think construction workers are going to stop it. I think a lot of people are going to try and stop it. I thought my idea could be a way that in every way, everybody benefits, except me because I don't even like the location.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, also, the first living recipient of a Medal of Honor from Iraq or Afghanistan will be decorated at the White House. There he is, Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, being honored for action in Afghanistan in October of 2007. The 25-year-old saw two Taliban fighters drag a fellow soldier away. He ran after them, killing one, wounding the other. The soldier later died from his wounds. But Giunta kept him from being captured.

Well, 1 billion Muslims around the world celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan while also remembering 9/11. A Muslim official tells us how people following Islam are balancing the two emotions.

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HOLMES: Let's show you live pictures we are keeping an eye on this morning. On the left, you are seeing a live picture of ground zero. That is where families are just now beginning to gather for ceremony to remember what happened there on this day nine years ago. That is where 2,752 people were killed in the attacks of 9/11. We'll take you there for the ceremony.

The two pictures you're seeing on the right. That is in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where they, too, will be having a ceremony to remember the victims there, where one plane crashed into a field there in Somerset County. The first lady, Michelle Obama, along with the former First Lady Laura Bush, will be taking place-or participating in those ceremonies that will be taking place here in just a bit. We will take you there live, as well, on this day nine years after the September 11th attacks.