We Remember September 11th

0:0025th remembrance of 9-11, 2001. The terrorist attacks on this country, this city. We try our best throughout the year to not forget, to always appreciate those who lost their lives. Remember them, everybody who was down there, the people that continued to suffer through 9-11 cancer and other things because they were down at ground zero. But obviously, when it's the day, like it is today, the remembering is stronger. There's many documentaries out as we have talked about that are taking you through the events, new things that we didn't know celebrating the heroes that stepped up as we did yesterday talking about the documentary. So it's always a tough one. I know how close you were to it and so many of our listeners are to it. So that's going to be a part of the show today, as we also talk a lot of football and baseball. Good morning, Boomer Hower. You yeah, good morning, Jay. It's a nice way to open it. It's not a feel good Friday for sure. It's a remembrance Friday for all of us that were affected.

1:01Most Americans that day were affected. And here we are 25 years later. And never forget is not a slogan. Never forget is a promise. And it's a promise to all those people that we lost on that day, including my best friend, Timothy Michael O'Brien, who worked up on the 105th floor of Canifith Gerald, along with over 100 of other friends that I had up there. And of course, our foundation offices were on the 100th and first floor. And I always put out a picture on this day. And there's an angle helmet sitting on top of an ambulance. And for me, it is really something that touches my heart. And it makes me think about all the families that were affected and are still affected by this day. And when I think about the people that died on this day, 25 years ago, they just were going to work. They just were doing what they normally do. And when two planes were flown into two buildings here in New York, as we all know, we know a plane that's depending on. We know a plane hit Shanksville PA with those heroic passengers

2:03taking that plane over. And I'll never forget it. I think too many people have forgotten it. I don't think enough has been taught about it and why it happened and the people who perpetrated the terrorist acts on the World Trade Center. But out of it, as we found out yesterday through many of these documentaries, out of tragedy comes triumph. Now for me personally, the triumph was, I had a friend by the name of Joe Petrie, who gave me a landing spot and let me rebuild our foundation. And that was at HSBC up on 40th and 5th. And I couldn't have done what I've done through this foundation without his help immediately after the attacks. I think about my friend Timothy Michael O'Brien and his family and his wife, Lisa. And I think about her remarrying her wonderful husband, Jimmy, and them having a baby together, Gwen, and Gwen is a wonderful young woman. She wouldn't be here today unless 9-11 took place. That's a triumph for sure. I think it timmy's three children who were too young

3:03to understand what happened back then and now are living it every single year over and over again with the videos and documentaries. And they have a better understanding of what's going on. But I still think there is a large swath of young people that have no idea. And I think about that in the same way that I would think of December 7th, 1941. You know, both days live in infamy for reasons that, you know, some people just don't understand why. And all I could say is that today, I hope more people learn about it, more people understand about it, and more people come away with this with an understanding of what we've been dealing with. So it's a sad day for sure, but it also is a football Friday. We are an entertainment vehicle here for those people out there in New York that want to hear about football, that want to hear about Yankees, that want to hear about the great Volpe night last night, and we will continue to do that. But we do so with heavy hearts and a memory. And it's true that we will never forget. And like I said, that is not a slogan that is the ultimate promise.

4:04Yeah, it's a fine line balancing between making sure that you remember and think about everybody who passed away, gave their lives to these horrible attacks and the aftermath elsewhere. And then also, you know, continue to power through and do what we do because that's what we did back then right after it. And nothing stopped us. It was the proudest I ever was of New York was during that time. And that's what I hope we could get back to without tragedy. It seems unlikely, but this is a day where everybody's on the same page. At least most people are on the same page that were alive and remembered it that day. And the young people do need to learn it's interesting because Sabrina's only eight years old, but she told me that, you know, we have to wear red, white, and blue tomorrow. And it's school. And I said, well, do you know why? And she goes, no. So I gave her the cliff notes very young. I wasn't about to show her videos.

5:04But I think that actually made me very happy that the school district was doing that. A lot of school districts around here do that. I don't know how many around the country do that. I know there are so many stories, G. Everybody has a story every, you know, and sometimes I was telling a really, really close friend of mine yesterday that, you know, I feel guilty sometimes because it's not, like I was a part of it, but, and I lost friends, and I went to funerals and I went to memorials, and I gave a eulogy and I was a part of that, but I didn't lose like what everybody else lost to the point where they lost their husbands, their fathers, their moms, their sisters, their brothers. Families have been dealing with this. There's nothing worse than losing a child before you as a father or a mother pass away. I mean, it's the hardest thing to ever have gone through. And then to watch a lot of the people in my life actually come through this and able to stand on their feet and their children grow up and define young men

6:07and women who are successful, who do remember their parents or their father in particular. And I just sometimes, I have the microphone, or we have the microphone to speak to millions and millions of people every week. And I don't want this ever to be thought of as like, it's my day, it's not my day, it's our day, it's the family's day, it's the first responders family's day. And then on top of all of that, think of how many Americans signed up to go fight a war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now in Iran. I mean, think about how many patriotic Americans were inspired that day that now have come back either maimed or they don't come back alive. And you have groups like Tunnels for Tower that just do amazing work. And you're reminded about it every single day that people have paid the ultimate price after it

7:07and they still are to this day. So I just hope again today, the 25th commemorants people remember and think about what happened 25 years ago, why it happened and where we find ourselves today. And I encourage you to check out the interview with Michael Geier yesterday on the free audacity app. He was a documentarian who put out the 9-11 documentary of the heroism that came from that horrible day, 25 years ago.