Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hi. I'm Audrey Johnson on The Audrey Johnson Show.
We are here at the memorial day, never forget, where lives were lost: brothers, mothers,
sisters, everyone.
But the most important, today's a very special day
because America's coming together --the world's coming together
--where we are just uniting as one:
Not forget what it's all about: It's about the memories;
It's about what happened here, at Ground Zero.
Listen to the stories. Listen to the faces.
Pay attention to all the people that are coming in:
from London, Houston, and around the world --Switzerland, Germany
--because they care.
I'm sitting here, in the subway. We all are heading to Ground Zero.
And I'm sitting here with Dimitri. And he is a fireman from Switzerland.
What are we doing here today, on this very special day,
that we don't want to forget?
This is true, a very special day, eleven September, two thousand and one,
that changed completely the world, not just only America, the world.
And firefighting is a big family worldwide.
And I think this is a special day for all to say Hello, I am here.
I think for all that die, the three hundred forty three firefighters.
Are you a firefighter also?
[German]
[German response...]
Jennelly and her two children.
She lost her mom on Nine One One, and they're heading down there.
He was just born you said, right?
He was born in 2002.
2002, and you weren't here.
2004
Yes. So today's a very-- we're all here for you.
Did you know that?
Yes.
Grandma was a very special woman.
Thank you, thank you.
How are you doing?
I'm holding up.
You're holding up.
Yeah, I'm holding up.
We will never understand how it is.
Can you share with the world, what can we do?
Just give really great support to the families. You know, just keep us all in prayer.
Aren't you proud to be an American?
I'm standing here with Robert, who's the honor guard in Houston--
came all the way from Houston-- for Nine One One,
to say Don't Forget.
So can you share with the world what you're doing here from Houston?
We're here to honor the fallen firefighters, and everyone else in the World Trade Center,
and that's what were here-- We came to do that, for them,
and do what we can for them.
For what you guys are doing, it tells us:
Buy American, For American.
Love America, and keep America alive
because this is a great country.
And many of our fore-parents, and my grandparents, and everybody,
came here, because we love America, and that's what's...
That's definitely correct. I mean, that's why we're all here.
We love America, as you say, and that's it.
I'm just simply honored, and proud, honored, very honored to be here,
to memorialize fallen brothers, I'm here for New York City.
That's it, this is New York City. We're here to honor their firefighters.
I would just like to say that America will not be brought down,
and we will come back, and we are coming back stronger than ever.
Yes! That's what my motto's about: America is coming back.
America is coming back: Bigger, Stronger, Faster.
We are representing the City of Houston; We are representing the firefighters,
but again, we're just a part of the whole blend of society of America.
And you can keep trying to knock us down, but we will continue to stand up.
And we do remember.
And we will always, always, come back.
[first moment of silence]
We responded that day.
You responded that day.
We are headed to the spot where our Lieutenant got killed.
You are going to the spot right now.
Yes...
And we can't follow you.
That's Mikey Boyle and David ...
They were actually off-duty, and jumped on a rig,
on Gray Jones Street.
Yeah, they were actually going to a fund-raiser for kids that day.
And, yeah, they got killed too.
A lot of, lot of, memories.
But you know, the memories, and their memories are here with all of us.
In fact, that's Glenn's... that's Glenn's shirt.
That's Glenn's shirt. Wow. So Glenn's...
... over here. See, In Memory of Glenn Wilkinson.
G-L-E-N-N
His name is G-L-E-N-N.
So he's a very special man.
I'm just thinking about that day, that's all.
You were just thinking about that day.
Let me give you a hug. Hugs are good.
Hugs are good. And you guys do great work.
And I want to thank you for that.
We're representing the Fire Department, first responders mostly.
By the way, Coney Island.
Coney Island.
Coney Island. But you know, the first responders and the
clergy.
I'm also clergy.
Okay. Because God is here today people.
You know, as a Muslim American, I can't speak for all the 1.5 billion Muslims.
9/11 is a fork-road in history.
There's a pre-9/11. There's a post-9/11.
The world will never go back to before 9/11. It's always changed.
That being said, we hope that ten years from now,
when we look back and reflect, we look back and reflect as a community--a
diverse community--that has moved forward.
You know, and has taken this moment of crisis--which it was; It's a moment of crisis.
And a moment of crisis can be a moment of reflection,
and a moment of opportunity, to move forward.
What do you hope for... will happen, right now, everybody coming together
as you just said, this is a great moment for all of us, whether we are Christian, or Muslims,
or Jews, or whatever.
But this moment, if we could captivate on this moment,
what would you hope for, for us, all of us.
Rise above the politics, rise above the divisions, rise above the insecurities, the fear, the
hysteria, the divisions, rise above the hate, rise above the anger.
And rise above it together as one, just as a moment of remembrance, reconciliation,
resilience, and resolve.