Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Remembering 9/11; Vice President Joe Biden Addresses NYC; Admiral Mike Mullen Speaks at Pentagon; Defense Secretary Gates Delivers Remarks on 9/11; President Obama Speaks at Pentagon in Honor of September 11th

Aired September 11, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: We are keeping our eyes on three different places today. First, in New York City where the ceremony for the memorial is under way -- got under way just about 20 minutes ago.

We've already observed one moment of silence. There's going to be four different moments of silence today. All of them marking some moment from that day: two of those moments of silence marking when the planes went into the towers; another two moments marking when those towers came down.

Now we switched over to the picture of the Pentagon now. This is where President Obama is going to be attending a ceremony. Expecting him there at the bottom of the hour. The Pentagon also hit on this day nine years ago. Specifically 9:37 a.m. when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon; 184 people were killed there.

Also, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, you'll know this story and know it well. This is where a plane went down. This was United Airlines Flight 93, out of Newark that, as the story goes, people on that airplane took down those terrorists and kept those terrorists from hitting their intended target. No way to know for sure to know what that intended target was. It's possible that they kept another tragedy from taking place on a tragic day.

But again, some 40 people on that plane were killed when it went down. Again, they're gathering there in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This is where we will see the first lady and the former first lady both giving remarks. Michelle Obama will be there as well as Laura Bush. But again, 40 people killed in Shanksville when that plane went down.

Back to New York now where we are just about a 1.5 minutes away from observing another moment of silence. You're seeing another pair. We've seen this year after year, people will go up and be a part of reading the names. There are 2,752 names that need to be read in New York. That's how many people were killed at that very spot where they are. This is at ground zero. This takes really until noon or possibly even past noon for this to happen.

But these are often family members that they will be picked to go up and read a portion of the long list of names. But every year they go through this and they read every single name. We've seen shots of the crowd, as well. People out there gathered, as always, they have signs of their loved ones, pictures of their loved ones they will be holding up. You see young people down there clutched really closely to their parents. We're sewing that this morning. Already remarks from the mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

We're also going to be hearing from the vice president Joe Biden who was there at ground zero. We've seen pictures of him and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, who are both there. But again, 9:02 now, the other moment of silence coming up at 9:03. So we're going to stick with these picture as these two wrap up reading the names.

Again, just two of I believe 100 pairs of people who will be participating. So let's stop for a moment.

(MOMENT OF SILENCE)

(BELL TOLL)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We come not to mourn, but to remember and rebuild.

In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, his poem "The Builders": "All are architects of Fate, working in these walls of time; some with massive deeds and great, some with ornaments of rhyme. Nothing useless is, or low; each thing in its place is best; and what seems but idle show strengthens and supports the rest.

"For the structure that we raise, time is with materials filled; our to-days and yesterdays are blocks with which we build.

"Build to-day, then, strong and sure, with firm and ample base; and ascending and secure shall to-morrow find its place.

"Thus alone can we attain to those turrets, where eyes sees the world as one vast plain, and one boundless reach of sky."

DEBRA EPPS, SISTER OF 9/11 VICTIM: My name is Debra Epps and my brother, Christopher Epps, worked for Mosh and McLennan on the 98th floor of Tower One. I worked across the street from the World Trade Center, and when I got to work that day someone yelled, "World Trade Center on fire." I knew my brother worked there, so I immediately left work to look for him.

Christopher was the youngest of our parents' seven children. He loved his family very deeply and would do anything for us. He loves "Star Wars" movies. And when I found out that he was inside the tower that had fallen, I wrote him this poem.

My beloved brother, Christopher, Christopher, so handsome and, oh, so fine. With a heart of gold, why, oh why did you have to leave us behind? And I said to myself, I know why. God was looking for a captain of a ship, someone who qualifies as a Jedi. So go on, dear brother, don't be shy. Your ship awaits you with 2,000 and more to stand by your side, to travel with you on your journey into the sky.

Your pancakes are on the griddle and there's plenty of sweet potato pie. Oh, how I want to cry because when god had chosen you, he truly chose a Jedi. May the force be with you, Christopher Epps, we love you and you are embedded in our hearts forever. Your family.

GOV. DAVID PATERSON, NEW YORK: Born in India, the American author Sri Chinmoy once penned that, "Hope knows no fear. Hope dares to blossom even in the abysmal abyss. Hope secretly feeds and strengthens promise."

HOLMES: You just heard there reading from the - the governor of New York, David Paterson. But before that, you get an idea of what people to this day are still going through. They are still trying to cope some nine years later. You heard Debra Epps there talking about her brother, Christopher, being the youngest of seven, she said, and made the comment that, in fact, he was a "Star Wars" fan and in her poem she certainly wrote about him as being a Jedi and may the force be with you.

But we hear the reading of the names continuing now. This is a process that certainly takes time and rightly so. They take the time it takes to read 2,752 names today. They read them slowly and clearly. And many people in the crowd, family members who are waiting to hear that name said, many people in the crowd, you see leaving roses in this reflecting pool. Many people bringing signs, pictures of their loved ones as well.

Here we are nine years later. We're keeping close eye of what's happening in New York but we're also keeping a close eye on ceremonies taking place in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and also at the Pentagon. The president will be participating in ceremonies at the Pentagon today. Those are scheduled to start here at the bottom of the hour. You're certainly hear from him live but also live pictures of the Pentagon I'll show you here. But they're going to be gathering there.

This is a place, of course, where 184 people died, also, so much emphasis is put on New York, rightly so, 2,752 people died there but also the Pentagon was hit that day at 9:37 a.m.. So we're coming up on another moment we're going to be pausing to observe when that American Airlines Flight 77 hit there. And again, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the first lady is. We'll take you there live as well throughout the morning.

Let me turn to our Susan Candiotti who has been reporting for us live. She's near Ground Zero for us this morning.

And, Susan, a lot of people, I guess, you're passing on the street right now, or passing you, I should say. Not necessarily going to participate in the ceremony but still is the mood in that city, is everyone - you can't help but have your mind on what happened right there nine years ago today?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. We've been seeing all kinds of people walking by and some of them stopping here at the Trinity Church where we are close to Ground Zero. You see tourists walking by. You see some people who actually participated in the service, bagpipers, for example, police officers, firemen have walked by. And also people who are part of tour groups who are here this day.

They can't get inside ground zero but they can certainly get closed to it. I guess there's probably something about having some proximity to the events that are going on this day that certainly everyone here will remember. Very touching memorials as we have all been hearing from some of the family members here. You just heard from Debra Epps. Also Larry McGovern talked about losing his mother who worked on the 92nd floor of Tower Two, who was killed that day.

And we will also be hearing from Neil Pettite (ph) who lost his brother, who is a police officer, Glen Pettite (ph), who also died that day. It's been a touching service, and unlike many other anniversaries because for the first time on this day the family members who are here are getting to see the progress that is being made at Ground Zero.

And I think very few people probably know about how much work has been going on because, as you drive around the site, it's hard to get that perspective. But yesterday we were very fortunate to get a look inside Ground Zero. And we were able to see the workers who were there 24 hours a day, around the clock. This is the only day where they have stopped work.

But families will see some tangible evidence of, for example, the reflecting pools that are being built and the footprints of each tower. They will see the wall that is being built and constructed that will be containing the names of all of the people who died that day. That's just a small example.

But also unlike other years, there is controversy surrounding the site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque. That's also, of course, on the minds of a lot of people here because later on today there will be some dueling rallies about that. Those who are against it and those who are in favor of it.

And also we learned that Reverend Terry Jones who came in, who arrived here from Florida last night to the surprise of a lot of people, to appear on a news broadcast to say that he will not be burning the Koran. There will be no Koran burnings at his church in Gainesville. He said not today and not ever, according to his appearance on NBC's "Today" show.

However, the New York Police Department is making very sure that they keep tabs on him, and they met with him last night. They talked about that with Commissioner Ray Kelly. And he discussed that also earlier today on CNN.

Here's part of what Commissioner Ray Kelly said about the visit of Reverend Jones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NYPD: We met him when he got off the plane last evening. We had an extensive discussion with him. We believe we know what his plans are, at least what he says his plans are. We're going to know where he is at all times. We'll keep a close tab on him. You know, it's difficult to say whether or not it's raised the problem level here, if you will. But we're going to keep a close tab on him today and tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So to be very clear, Commissioner Kelly says we'll know exactly where he is every minute of the day. However, at this hour and certainly until noontime today, all eyes are now on this memorial service which, of course, is very touching.

I'd like to wind up with something that Mayor Bloomberg said. He said "the best way through sorrow is to link hands with those who can lead us through the daybreak of a new day." T.J., back to you.

HOLMES: All right. Our Susan Candiotti for us in New York, not far from Ground Zero. Susan, thank you.

And again, we are keeping a close eye as we're seeing the picture. They are reading the names. That's happening right now at that memorial service. We're going to be going back there in just a bit, as the names are being read. We'll be dipping in and out.

Also another moment of silence is going to be observed at 9:59 a.m., that is when the South Tower fell. But now I want to turn to Washington, D.C.. I want to turn to the Pentagon specifically where another moment of silence will be observed at 9:37. That's just a short time from now.

Our Barbara Starr is here with us. And Barbara Starr, you were there nine years ago today. So often emphasis is put on New York and attention goes there because of how many people died there. But certainly we can't forget the Pentagon or Shanksville.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely not, T.J.. Yes, I was inside the Pentagon nine years ago at 9:37 in the morning when American Airlines Flight 77 hijacked by terrorists hit the building. 184 people dying in that terrible attack that everyone at the Pentagon remembers every day because the Pentagon never shut down for business.

That time, Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld says he wasn't leaving and if he wasn't leaving the generals, the admirals, the military, they certainly weren't leaving. That place stayed open, flames, smoke, terrible situation going on. The dead and the wounded were tended to. But really within minutes, I think it's fair to say the U.S. military, the Bush administration at that time began planning the war in Afghanistan.

And, of course, we are nine years into that now. General David Petraeus looking for progress in that very difficult war. Now nearly 100,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan, still going after the Taliban, still going after Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden not found, not captured, not killed. But the military in the last several weeks has been talking about they believe they're starting to make some progress in the war in Afghanistan nine years later. Now that they have more troops on the ground. This year, you know what I think is so different is people are already talking about next year, the decade, 10 years after 9/11. And it is the passage of time for the U.S. military. There's a whole new generation of troops fighting the war. And I want to relate that I recently met a young man, Private First Class Miguel Garcia. He was wounded in Afghanistan in the fight. We met him coming home wounded. He was coming back to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, with his buddies. Home of the 101st Airborne Division.

Think about this. Private First Class Miguel Garcia, 21 years old. On the morning of the 9/11 attacks he was a 12 year old little boy. So there is quite a passage of time here. T.J.?

HOLMES: Absolutely. I'm curious about, is it just in our nature, we think about those big anniversaries, 5, 10, 20, 25. You say people are already kind of looking ahead to the 10-year anniversary. Why is that?

STARR: Well, you know, I guess it's in the American psyche. You know, it's those moments that are sort of markers, icons in the nation's history, if you will. Certainly there was, if you recall, celebration - not celebrations, pardon me, memorials 50 years after the Pearl Harbor attacks. That's a much better way to describe it. And I think people are looking at that.

For the Pentagon, though, I think it is a little bit different because it is a place where people continue to come to work, even the next morning. And, of course, it was rebuilt, the attack site rebuilt and open for business one year to the day. So the Pentagon is a place where people are very adamant, 9/11 didn't stop them, they kept going just like the people in New York, just like the people in Shanksville.

HOLMES: Like you say, stayed open for business. Barbara, thank you so much this morning. We will be talking to you again. We want to go from Barbara there in D.C., we're going to turn to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the other place that was a part of this tragedy today. Sandra, hello to you. I think ceremonies are just about to get under way there. You have a first lady and a former first lady participating in ceremonies there.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, T.J., the ceremony is about to start just momentarily. The music has begun. You are hearing the music of the Laurel Hylands String Quartet. It's really filling up. Friends, family members and friends of the victims of United Flight 93 are gathering here for this very solemn day.

As you mentioned, first lady, Michelle Obama, and former first lady Laura Bush will be speaking at the ceremony. Interesting to know, where we are right now was the initial staging ground where family members gathered, talked to authorities nine years ago when the crash happened.

Now, the field where the plane landed is just beyond the stage back there. It is sacred ground. And nobody is allowed to go over there right now. The area is cordoned off. They are constructing a permanent memorial right now. So this is a very somber day. They are going to be naming the 40 victims that died that day, as well as ring a bell for each of the victims.

Again, it's going to get under way very shortly. And here in Shanksville, a very somber, sad, and reflective day on the ninth anniversary of 9/11.

HOLMES: Sandra, can you give us an update as well? This has been a long, painstaking process to try and get a permanent memorial built. There's been a lot of back and forth in that struggle. Where are we now?

ENDO: Well, the memorial was very difficult to really come together because this is a vast area of rural Pennsylvania. We're talking about. And there were so many landowners that each owned a piece of this 2,000-acre park that the National Park Service really wanted to claim as a site of the permanent memorial.

So it took a lot of negotiating for the federal government to get these owners on board to sell the mineral rich land that they were sitting on for a portion of this memorial site. Well, they got it all together now. It's going to be a 2,000-acre plot for this site. And it's also publicly and privately funded. They had to raise a lot of money for this. So far they've raised $12 million for the first phase. They broke ground just about a year ago. So that construction is under way right now. And they're hoping that will all be completed by this time next year.

HOLMES: All right. Sandra Endo for us in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where that ceremony is just getting under way. We'll be checking back in live there. Sandra, thank you so much.

Well, 20 minutes past the hour now. As you know, we're keeping a close eye on all of these ceremonies, all happening live, all getting under way. One already under way in New York City. Another getting under way in Shanksville. The other at the Pentagon set to get under way shortly. As you look at a live picture of family members reading the names of those killed on this day nine years ago.

And there at Ground Zero where that ceremony is taking place we know so many people rushed in to help when those buildings fell, but some are still asking the question, just who is helping them, the first responders? 21 past the hour. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Taking a look at some of the stories making headlines this morning.

The expected release of an American hiker who is imprisoned in Iran. Hitting a bit of a snag. Iranian media now reporting that Sarah Shourd's liberation hasn't been approved by the judiciary and her release has been postponed. She and two others have been held since July of last year. Iran accusing them of being spies.

And also, the Gainesville, Florida, preacher who has been getting all kinds of attention over the past week and threatened to burn Koran, announced this morning it will not happen, not now, not ever. Terry Jones is the name. You are seeing pictures of him arrive in New York last night. He's hoping to speak to the imam who is behind the proposed mosque near Manhattan's Ground Zero. But the imam says no meeting is scheduled.

New York Police also say they're keeping a close eye on the pastor for his own safety.

Also investigators will continue combing over the smoldering rubble that was once a San Bruno neighborhood. Trying to determine what sparked the natural gas fire there. Four people were killed. Dozens more hurt. Dozens of homes destroyed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: So welcome back to the CNN SATURDAY MORNING. You know we're keeping an eye on all the memorial services taking place today on this nine-year anniversary of 9/11.

I want to show you a picture of what we saw just a moment ago. The president, President Obama, has made it to the Pentagon. He's going to be there participating in the ceremony. This was just a moment ago. The president leaving a wreath there at the memorial at the Pentagon.

Expecting to hear comments from him shortly. But this was just a moment ago. The president has arrived on scene at the Pentagon. This is the place where at 9:37 a.m., nine years ago American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people, 125 of those victims were inside the Pentagon.

This is a live picture now of the president. Let's listen in for a moment.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen.

ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Mr. President, Secretary Gates, distinguished guests, most of all families and friends of those we lost on 9/11. Inside the Pentagon, near the chapel, lies a quilt on display. The quilt was stitched together by dozens of Americans who simply wanted those of us who survived the attack on this building to know that they, our fellow citizens, would always remember those who didn't.

On that quilt are written these words by a little girl named Courtney Lord (ph), "in our hearts we weep for you, in our minds, we honor you." Today Courtney's words still comfort us because today we still weep for those we lost here and in New York and in Somerset County.

Today, we still honor them. We honor them with our presence and certainly with this memorial. Mostly we honor them with our lives, with what we have done from that day to this, the sacrifices we have borne, the laughter we have shared, the hope we have dared to let back into our hearts.

Unspeakable carnage was visited upon us here, but it did not conquer us. Unimaginable loss is felt by us here, but it does not diminish us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us that what lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. So here, now, let us weep for what lies behind us, let us honor what lies in front of us, but let us remember always what lies inside of us.

Please join me now in a moment of silence and remembrance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, the secretary of defense, Robert M. Gates.

ROBERT M GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Mr. President, distinguished visitors, friends and family members, thank you for being here. Nine years ago today on a day much like this, the calm of a clear September morning was shattered by the worst act of terrorism in our nation's history. The attacks on the World Trade Center, Flight 93 over Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon, steps from where we stand today, claimed thousands of innocent victims and forever scarred their family and friends and all Americans.

Today, we honor and remember those who fell, surrounded by those who love them and still feel the pain of that loss. This remembrance continues in ways large and small. Yesterday, as the chairman just mentioned, we had the official presentation of the Pentagon 9/11 quilt featuring the faces of all 184 of those who died on these grounds. We're grateful for the work and dedication of all the volunteers who brought that moving project into reality.

And just west of here, a portion of Washington boulevard is being renamed 9/11 Heroes Memorial Highway to remind those passing by what happened here on that day. Today we also reflect on what those attacks meant for an entire generation of young Americans who answered the call to serve.

Since then, thousands have made the ultimate sacrifice, and their absence, too, is felt today and every day. Our troops and their families have paid a steep price these past nine years, but have also shown resilience and strength in the best traditions of the country, a country that cherishes their service and the memory of those that have fallen.

We are honored that the president is once again here to help us commemorate this anniversary. And so it is my great pleasure to introduce our commander in chief, the president of the United States.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, and members of the armed forces, my fellow Americans, most of all to you, survivors who still carry the scars of tragedy and destruction, to the families who carry in your hearts the memory of the loved ones you lost here. For a nation, this is a day of remembrance, a day of reflection, and with God's grace, a day of unity and renewal. We gather to remember this sacred hour on hallowed ground, the places where we feel such grief and where our healing goes on.

We gather here at the Pentagon where the names of the lost are more forever etched in stone. We gather in a gentle Pennsylvania field where a plane went down and a tower of voices will rise and echo through the ages. And we gather where the twin towers fell, a site where the work goes on so that next year, on the tenth anniversary, the waters will flow and steady tribute to the nearly 3,000 innocent lives.

On this day, it's perhaps natural to focus on the images of that awful morning, images that are seared into our souls. It's tempting to dwell on the final moments of the loved ones whose lives were taken so cruelly. Yet these memorials and your presence today remind us to remember the fullness of their time on earth. They were fathers and mothers raising their families, brothers and sisters pursuing their dreams, sons and daughters, their whole lives before them. They were civilians and service members. Some never saw the danger coming, others saw the peril and rush to save others, up those stairwells, into the flames, into the cockpit.

They were white and black and brown, men and women and some children, made up of all races, many faiths. They were Americans and people from far corners of the world, and they were snatched from us senselessly and much too soon. But they lived well and they live on in you.

Nine years have now passed. In that time, you have shed more tears than we will ever know. And though it must seem some days as though the world has moved on to other things, I say to you today that your loved ones endure in the heart of our nation now and forever.

Our remembrance today also requires a certain reflection, as a nation and as individuals we must ask ourselves how best to honor them, those who died, those who sacrificed. How do we preserve their legacy, not just on this day but every day. We need not look far for our answer. The perpetrators of this evil act didn't simply attack America, they attacked the very idea of America itself, all that we stand for and represent in the world. So the highest honor we can pay those we lost, indeed our greatest weapon in this ongoing war, is to do what our adversaries fear the most, to stay true to who we are as Americans, to renew our sense of common purpose, to say that we define the character of our country and we will not let the acts of some small band of murders who slaughter the innocent and cower in caves, distort who we are.

(AUDIO GAP)

HOLMES: It looks we are having a bit of an audio difficulty. The president's mike, I'm told, just cutting out. We got it back. Let's go.

OBAMA: -- our country. And we honor all those who serve to keep us safe. They may seek to strike fear in us, but they are no match for our resilience. We do not succumb to the fear, nor will we squander the optimism that has always defined us as a people. On a day when others sought to destroy, we have chosen to build. With a national day of service and remembrance that summons the inherent goodness of the American people. They may seek to exploit our freedoms, but we will not sacrifice the liberties we cherish or hunker down behind wall of suspicion and mistrust.

They may wish to drive us apart, but we will not give in to their hatred and prejudice, for scripture teaches us to get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. They may seek to spark conflict between different faiths, but as Americans we are not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day, it was al Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion.

And just as we condemn intolerance and extremism abroad, so will we stay true to our traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation. We champion the rights of every American, including the right to worship as one chooses, as service members and civilians from many faiths do just steps from here at the very spot where the terrorists struck this building.

Those who attacked us sought to demoralize us, divide us, to deprive us of the very unity, the very ideals that make America, America -- those qualities that have made us a beacon of freedom and hope to billions around the world. Today, we declare once more we will never hand them that victory. As Americans, we will keep alive the virtues and values that make us who we are and who we must always be. For our cause is just, our spirit is strong, our resolve is unwavering. Like generations before us, let us come together, today and all days to affirm certain inalienable rights, to affirm life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

On this day and the days to come, we choose to stay true to our best selves as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. This is how we choose to honor the fallen, your families, your friends, your fellow service members. This is how we will keep alive the legacy of these proud and patriotic Americans. This is how we will prevail in this great test of our time. This is how we will preserve and protect the country that we love and pass it safer and stronger to future generations.

May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

HOLMES: President Obama at the Pentagon today, one of a number of ceremonies we are keeping a close eye on. The president reminding the country of just what we're up against and who we are up against and said the best way to honor those who were killed at the Pentagon, in New York and also in Shanksville is to do what they fear most, which is stay true to who we are as Americans.

The president greeting some folks there. This is part of his schedule as well. He was going to greet some of the people there, the families that gathered. One hundred and eighty-four 184 people were killed at the Pentagon, 59 of those victims were aboard American airlines Flight 77. Another 125 victims were inside the Pentagon that day. As our Barbara Starr told us, she was there that day, told us just a few minutes ago that, in fact, the Pentagon never shut down. The Pentagon continued to work. Donald Rumsfeld, a lot of people remember the picture of him that day, going out there and helping, himself, those who had been injured.

A lot of people remember that picture, so, she said, when you see him, all the people at the Pentagon who work there, you see him out there not going anywhere, still working, doing everything he could to help, that everybody kind of gathered that same spirit that day and the Pentagon never did shut down.

Again, as you're looking there, the president kind of behind that tree, kind of behind those leaves there, the president is in that crowd, he is walking that rope line right now greeting a lot of family members who are, in fact, there who have gathered there year after year to remember the 184 who died that day at the Pentagon, that flight was heading from D.C. to Los Angeles and it never really left D.C., crashed into the Pentagon that morning. It was at 9:37 a.m.

We have observed already three different moments of silence this morning for when planes actually crashed, another moment of silence coming your way at 10:03 a.m., this morning. That is when the plane went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, before that another moment of silence going to be observed at 9:59 a.m., that's another moment in observance of when the first tower fell in New York, the south tower which was actually the second tower hit but the first one to fall.

This is the ceremony happening in New York, right now. Now, we see this year after year, family members stand up in pairs and they read the names, all 2,752 of the people who were killed that day. We're keeping a close eye on all of these ceremonies. We'll take you live back to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and also back live to New York. Quick break. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: About 10 minutes now to the top of the hour. Here we are nine years after 9/11 and many first responders are suffering from serious illnesses. Many of them blame the grueling round clock recovery work at Ground Zero.

Our Elizabeth Cohen talked to one former first responder who's been offered a settlement he calls an insult.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): September 12, 2001. The remains of the Twin Towers a twisted, smoky heap.

(on camera): When you got down there on September 12, what was that scene like? JEVON THOMAS, WORKED AT GROUND ZERO: It was like a horror movie. Everywhere you went, there was dust. It was in the air, it was on the ground, it was on everything you touched. It was horrible.

COHEN: So you were inhaling all of this stuff?

THOMAS: All of it, every day, all day.

COHEN (voice-over): Jevon Thomas was one of thousands who descended on Ground Zero to help. He set up portable toilets for the emergency workers. Ten hours a day, seven days a week. After a year at Ground Zero, he began to feel a stabbing pain.

THOMAS: It was growing here. There was a lump. I went, I had a biopsy, and it came back that it was cancer.

COHEN (voice-over): A rare cancer, called an epithelioid sarcoma. He needed extensive reconstructive surgery and six months of chemotherapy. And then, with his scarred arm, he went right back to work at Ground Zero.

THOMAS: And another lump came.

COHEN (on camera): They found cancer here.

THOMAS: Right.

COHEN: Then, they found cancer here.

THOMAS: Right.

COHEN (voice-over): Two tumors within two years. Thomas started to think the toxic dust had caused his cancer.

COHEN (on camera): So right there, that's where you think your cancer started?

THOMAS: Yes, I'm a hundred percent sure of that.

COHEN: How can you be so sure?

THOMAS: It's so coincidence of within a year of me working there every day, that I started growing a lump in my hand and it turned out to be cancer.

COHEN (voice-over): Dr. Iris Udasin is taking care of Thomas and hundreds of other workers from Ground Zero.

COHEN (on camera): He's convinced that he got it at Ground Zero. Are you convinced?

DR. IRIS UDASIN, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH EXPERT: It's really not possible to know whether this cancer was caused by 9/11.

COHEN (voice-over): She says more studies need to be done. In the meantime -- (on camera): The cancer's back.

THOMAS: Yes, it's back.

COHEN: Where is it this time?

THOMAS: It's in my lungs. This is the third time, so it goes, it comes. You never get rid of it. It's a nightmare.

COHEN (voice-over): A cancerous lump the size of a golf ball is in his lungs. Now, he'll need more surgeries, more chemotherapy. Thomas says he's too sick to work, relying on charity to support himself, his wife, and two children.

Then, last month, hope arrived in the form of a letter, his share of the $712 million settlement for Ground Zero workers.

COHEN (on camera): So, you received this letter, and how much money did it say you would get?

THOMAS: $83,400.

COHEN: Is that enough to compensate you?

THOMAS: No, not at all. With all the deductions, if I have $50,000 or $60,000, that's supposed to last me for the rest of my life? That's an insult. I'd rather not have anything than to have that.

COHEN: On September 12, when you were asked to go and help, you did.

THOMAS: Exactly. With pride.

COHEN: And do you feel like you've been forgotten now?

THOMAS: Yes. I know I've been forgotten. Instead of everyone uniting, coming together, and figuring out a way to help you, they're figuring out a way of not to helping you to save a dollar. And that's what it all boils down to -- a dollar. And that's what I believe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right, and our Elizabeth Cohen is here with us now, filed that report.

Thank you for being here in studio with us. But, what do the studies say about whether or not, I mean, does what he went through down there, did it caused his cancer?

COHEN: Right, the doctor in our piece said, look, it's impossible to say for sure, yes the Ground Zero work caused his cancer or no, it definitely didn't. The lawyers who were responsible for negotiating this settlement, they say it takes 10 to 15 years for a cancer like that to grow and show up, so they say, obviously, it is not clear that it is the work at Ground Zero that did that. Other people say, what he and others were breathing in for those many months was an unprecedented mix of carcinogens and so, how do we know exactly what's caused it? So, that's sort of the back and forth, there's a lot of grey.

HOLMES: In the beginning there, we talked about him calling this settlement and insult. Why the settlement amount, why would the amount offered to him, that amount?

COHEN: Right, other people received much more. And it's because it is not clear whether Ground Zero, his work at Ground Zero caused the cancer. For other folks where there is more scientific evidence that the work at Ground Zero caused say their asthma, some of those folks got $1.5 million or even more.

HOLMES: Let's go back. You are here now with us, nine-year anniversary and I know you certainly remember what you were doing a few years ago, nine years ago. But you were down there the immediate days after 9/11. I am going to share something with our viewers and ask you about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

COHEN: Aaron, I have been talking to these families for two days and all of these stories are very much like this. People are just hoping their relatives are out there somewhere and they are begging us to talk about them, to show their pictures hoping that if someone has seen them, that they might be able to identify them and give some information -- Aaron.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I know you've seen that plenty of times over the years, but what's it like to see that again? That was in the immediate days where people still -- there was hope that maybe a family member was there.

COHEN: That was, I think, September 13 when I was there with Vinny Kamage (ph), who's the young man, he lost his father who was a window washer at the time. And actually, I haven't seen that for a long time, and it really brings back the emotion of that time, and it's sort of almost easy to forget it after nine years. I was down there at the center where family members were gathering with my producer, Mariam Falco (ph).

And we were, you know, dozens and dozens of people were coming up to us to us saying, please help us find father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife. You know, do everything you can to find them and they were really convinced that their loved ones were still alive somewhere. They thought they were wondering the streets of Manhattan. You know, they didn't -- they were sure they were alive. And if course, the reality is that they weren't and it was a very, very difficult time.

HOLMES: And phones weren't working. People didn't have a way to really kind of contact each other, so people were using or trying to get the media's help at that time. Elizabeth, we appreciate you brings us that story. A lot of people still hurting. Those responders still looking for sine help and also taking us back to what you were doing nine years ago, as well. Thank you, good to see you, this weekend.

COHEN: Thank you. Good to see you.

HOLMES: Quick break, here. We're going to take you back to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and also back to New York, at Ground Zero, in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)