The museum built at a cost of 700 million is designed to capture the raw emotions of that day, the panic, heartbreak and of course the heroism. We are at the ceremony. Give us your impressions of what you ever all right seen. Its gray day, going to be a somber day, but also spiritually uplifting day. We were uplifted when we saw the museum for the first time. Its pretty well known that america does museums on this scale very well and new york has served the country proudly with this museum. This is a very, very powerful exhibit, and its tastefully done, as well. I think that when people come here to see this, theyre going to be taken on a ride that will bring the emotions to the surface really very quickly. Now of course, there are controversies, not least of all the 24 fee that employees of the public ever to pay each to get in. Lets come back to the controversies later in this hour, put them to one side for now, because there are plenty of others as well. For now, lets take you on a mini t to your of this new national museum. Youll see what its like when you come here, what youre going to see. This is what the World Trade Center looked like before the towers came down. I am now standing in the new national 9 11 international and Memorial Museum. When you come in, you are greeted at once by two steel columns taken from the exterior of the north tower and returned home pretty much to where they stood for all those years. The rest of the exhibit is down a gently sloping walk way taking you seven floors down toward the bedrock. When you enter, emotions swiftly rise to the surface. The exhibit takes the view are back 13 years as if 9 11 happened only yesterday. The stairs along which thousands of people escaped. The t. V. Aerial from the top of the north to your, part of a motor used to propel an elevator. The giant slurry wall that held back the hudson river and most movingly, the Ladder Company number three firetruck, with an inscription written by an anonymous person. It says jeff, we will not forget you. That ladder number three engine is really very moving when you see it for the first time. The who you seem combined artifacts like that along with plenty of video and sound. What happens is when you walk in, you go down a very gentle slope all the way down to the bedrock and at the very bottom of the museum there is the foundation hall, which is where todays ceremony is taking place. Del. As i was watching the politicians and some of the firefighters and rescue workers arrive, we described it as a somber ceremony, but it was also sort of a homecoming for those who survived and those who rescued so many lives. There were smiles, photographers taken and somewhat celebration saying that its sort of like what we saw in boston following the marathon, new york stands proud. You know, thats a very good analogy, the same sort of atmosphere today that we had a couple of weeks ago when you and i were together last, we were broadcasting from the one Year Anniversary events of the Boston Marathon bombing. Its the same sort of feel. Youre going to see a ceremony unfolded during the better part of an hour. The speeches could be quite emotional. He was here actively involved on the day the planes went in and the to your went down. Well hear from the governor of new york, as well and from ordinary people, people who came here because they just came to work that day and managed to survive, or rescuers who went to the towers to help other people. They will have their voice, as well. After today, theres to be an almost weeklong dedication period in which family members will be welcomed here. Theyll be able to come from all over the country, wherever they are now to see this museum pretty much on their own, family members only, theyll be able to review it, take stock of it and have their own opinion. The museum will open to the public, del, next wednesday, may 21. We are taking you live to the dedication ceremony, this being the honor guard. We pause now. Present, halt. Oh, say can you see, by the dawns early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming . Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, oer the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming . And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O say, does that starspangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and the home of the brave . Halt. [ drumming ] honor guard being led by members of the nypd, nypd. You saw many politicians gathered, the president of the united states, the former president of the united states, William Jefferson clinton also on hand for the as her moneys as well as several local politicians and governors of new york past and present during the time of the ceremony and during the time of the dedication. The people singing the national anthem, the young peoples chorus of new york city. We are here today to help dedicate a great museum, one that rises out of the bedrock of our city, our history and our hearts. In the years to come, the 9 11 Memorial Museum will take its place among the waters of pearl harbor and Vietnam Memorial as a sacred marker of or our past and a solemn Gathering Place to come to remember those who died and honor acts of courage and compassion that save lives and lifted spirits. The out stretched hands that rushed forward that day and in the hard weeks and months that followed. In the streets of new york, ocean of the pentagon, in the fields near shanksville kindness poured forward. We saw only the humanity in one another. This museum built on the site of rubble and ruins is now filled with the faces, the stories, and the memories of our common grief and hope. It is a witness to tragedy. It is an affirmation of human life. It is a reminder to us and to all future generations that freedom carries heavy responsibilities. It is a reflection of our belief that the true hope of human tyree sides in our compassion and kindness for one another. Walking through this museum can be difficult at times. It is impossible to leave without feeling inspired. Each story here beats with a human heart, which if we allow it touches our own. The stories are the proof that what we do and the choices we make affect each others lives and the course of human history. This morning, wed like to share just a few of these stories the museum tells. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce the president of the united states, barack obama. [ applause ] thank you. Please be seated. Mayor bloomberg, governor cuomo, honored guests, families of the fallen, in those awful moments, after the south tower was hit, some of the injured huddled in the correctage of the 78th 78th floor. The fires were spreading, the air was filled with smoke. It was dark. They could barely see. It seemed as if there was no way out. Then there came a voice, clear, calm, saying he had found the stairs. A young man in his 20s, strong, emerged from the smoke and over his nose and his mouth, he wore a red handkerchief. He caught for fire extinguishers to fight back the flames. He tended to the wounded. He led those survivors down the stairs to safety and carried a woman on his shoulders down 17 flights. Then he went back, back up all those flights, then back down again, bringing more wounded to safety until that moment when the tower fell. They didnt know his name. They didnt know where he came from, but they knew their lives had been saved by the man in the red bandana. Again, mayor bloomberg, distinguished guests, mayor deblagio and friends and families of survivors of that day, to all those who responded to such courage, on behalf of michelle and myself and the american people, it is honor for us to join in your memories, to recall and to reflect, but above all to reaffirm the true spirit of 9 11. Love, compassion, sacrifice, and to enshrine it forever in the heart of our nation. Michelle and i had the opportunity to join with others on a visit with some of the survivors and families, men and women who inspire us all, and we had a chance to visit some of the exhibits. I think all who come here will find it to be a profound and moving experience. I want to express our deep gratitude to everybody who was involved in this great undertaking for bringing us to this day, for giving us this sacred place of healing and of hope. Here at this memorial, at this museum, we come together. We stand in the footprints of two mighty towers, graced by the rush of eternal waters. We look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent so yo so you soud women of every race, every creed, from every corner of the world. We can touch their names and hear their voices and glimpse the small items that speak to the beauty of their lives, a wedding ring, a dusty helmet, a shining badge. Here we tell their story so that generations yet unborn will never forget. Of coworkers who led others to safety, the passengers who stormed the cockpit, our men and women in uniform who rushed into an inferno, our First Responders who charged up those stairs, a generation of service members, our 9 11 generation who have served with honor in more than a decade of war, a nation that stands tall and united and unafraid because no act of terror can match the strength or the character of our country. Like the great wall and bedrock that embraces us today, nothing can ever break us. Nothing can change who we are as americans. On that september morning, allison crather lost her son, welse. Months later, she was reading the newspaper, an article about those final minutes in the towers, survivors recounted how a young man wearing a red hand kerr chief had let them to safety. In that moment, allison knew. Ever since he was a boy, her son had always carried a red handkerchief. Her son was the man in the red bandana. He was just 24 years old with a broad smile and a bright future. He worked in the south tower on the 104th floor. He had a big laugh, a joy of life and dreams of seeing the world. He worked in finance, but he had also been a volunteer firefighter and after the planes hit, he put on that bandana and spent his final moments saving others. Three years ago this month, after our seals made sure that justice was done, i came to ground zero and among the families here that day was allison and she told me about her son and his fearless spirit. She showed me a handkerchief like the one he wore that morning. Today, as we saw in our tour, one of his red handkerchiefs is on display in this museum. From this day forward, all those who come here will have a chance to know the sacrifice of a young man, who like so many, gave his life so others might live. Those we lost live on in us, in the families who love them still, in the friends who remember them always and in a nation that will honor them now and forever. Today, it is my honor to introduce two women forever bound by that day, united in their determination to keep alive the true spirit of 9 11, allison and one of those he saved. [ applause ] my name is liny young. Im here today because of welles a man i did not get to thank. It was hard to come today, but i wanted to do so and say thank you to his parents and my new friend. I am welles mother, alison crowther. My husband and i could not be more proud of our son. To us, he lives on in the people he helped and in the theory of what he chose to do that tuesday in september. Welles believe thad that we arel connected as one human family that we are here to look out for and to care for one another. This is lifes most precious meaning. It is our greatest hope that when people come here and see welles red bandana, they will remember how people helped each other that day, and we hope that they will be inspired to do the same in ways both big and small. This is the true legacy of september 11th. [ applause ] i didnt realize what had happened until this afternoon, had no idea that our son, todd was on an airplane. I thought he was in italy. I was off by a day. You know, we kind of define our history now, dont we, as pre9 11 and post 9 11. Well, here are some bits of a wristwatch and its function is supposed to be to tell time. It was a good watch that did its job very well, but it doesnt tell what time it is anymore. What it does tell is what time it was. It says its the 11th, and so this marks the time that the successful counter attack on flight 93 ended. We are all grateful today to the memorial board, to the staff and families for creating this really magnificent memorial. Why dont we give them a round of applause. [ applause ] todd beamers watch was recovered at the site of the crash of night 93 near shanksville pennsylvania, given to this museum by his loving family. We are honored to have his loving father, david, with us here today. Todd was one of 40 men and women aboard that plane, strangers all bound for san francisco. They would decide to take fate into their own hands at the probable if not certain risk of their own lives. When the highjackers took control of their plane, people began calling family and friends who told them about the other highjacked planes. None of the passengers had been trained for this kind of scenario, let alone even considered such a nightmare, and yet, after talking over what they had learned, they joined with members of the crew to storm the cockpit. In doing so, they changed the course of history. It was later shown that their actions prevented the plane from reaching the highjackers intended target, washington, d. C. , a mere 20 minutes away. In giving their lives, how many lives had they saved . One of the first calls made from the plane had been from mark bingham who later helped form the plan he followed. He had called his mother, alice and alice later left him this message. Mark, this is your mom, apparently, its terrorists and their hell bent on crashing the aircraft. Theres one flight that they say is headed toward san francisco. It might be yours, so if you can, group some people and perhaps do everything you can to overpower them. Try to call me back if you can. I love you, sweetie, good luck, byebye. Good morning. When you walk through this museum, what strikes you is how your emotions can feel sad at one moment and the very next moment, you feel utterly astonished and grateful at how people from all over the world responded. It was as if the entire world came knocking on our door, cried with us and asked what they could do. People from over 90 countries died on september 11th and so the word understood that while this happened on our soil, it happened to all of us. Letters arrived from australia and jordan, gifts from india, ireland and kenya, and people from all walks of life and speaking every language came to help us dig out from under and bandaged our wounds. The world felt like a tightly knit community, a smaller, more caring place. This is how good will begins. In the understanding that we are underneath all our many differences, fellow men and women, with a love and a sanctity for human life. Here in this museum, we are reminded to pause and remember how many came to help us and that the true gift of friendship and fellowship can be borne out of the night for which we all remain eternally grateful. I dedicate this song to my late husband, Calvin Joseph gooding. [ Amazing Grace ] [ Amazing Grace ] [ Amazing Grace ] [ applause ] my name is florence jones. I went to work on september 11. I did not plan on walking down 77 flights of stairs. I wasnt dressed for it, nor did i expect my boss to have to carry my shoes. I was one of the last of the 25 people to come out of the south tower. My number is 18. I had taken my shoes off on the 60th floor and i walked in my stockings the rest of the way. After that, i still walked in my stocking feet 50 more blocks to get to a friends office, barely in one piece. When i heard that the museum was looking for artifacts, i thought about my shoes. I had put them in a plastic container, and when i took them out, they still had the smell on them from that awful day, and i knew i would never wear them again, so i decided to donate them here. I wanted my nieces and my nephew and every person that asked what happened to see them, and maybe understand a little bit better what it felt like to be us on that day. [ applause ] a simple pair of shoes, what could they possibly tell us about 9 11, about the choice and close calls, about the quarter mile climb down a staircase filled with falling ceilings, crowded with colleagues and confusion, about making it out or not . Ordinary everyday objects that we find here, a wallet, ring, i. D. Card, a telephone, are unlikely, but powerful keepsakes which help us understand the events of that day in human terms. Each piece carries with it another story, one that might have been our own, for dont we all own a pair of shoes we wear to work that could have been the ones we wore that day. For some, the last 38 steps they walked to freedom and to life were down a narrow outdoor staircase that led to the street. These stairs were also the last above ground remnant found at the World Trade Center site. They became both a symbol of that terrible day and the months of painstaking recovery. Workers removed the 56ton staircase from its concrete base as carefully as one would a sacred object from an Archeological Site so that it could be placed in its new home inside the museum. Today, when you walk down the museums last set of stairs that lead to bedrock, whether you walk slowly down the wide elegant staircase or stand comfortably on the moving escalator, you will travel right beside the staircase and as you do, imagine for a moment that these hard concrete stairs were once for hundreds of people, the last and long sought path to survival. My name is kayla bergeron. I worked in the north tower for four years. That day, everyone on our floor, people who knew each other, and who didnt, started walking down 68 flights of stairs together. It was orderly and calm. For every step we took down, the firefighters and police were climbing up. When we got to the sixth floor, it felt the whole world it felt as if the whole world started to shake. It turned out that the south tower had collapsed. Suddenly, there was confusion and we were climbing over wires and Port Authority policemen helped us find our way through. My friend patty and i got separated from everyone and we were alone thinking theres no way out. Then we heard a bullhorn that said that if we could hear the sound, follow the light. We went this way and that way and after what seemed like forever, we got to the outdoor staircase. I had walked those stairs 100 times to go to the train, stop at the post office, never giving them a second thought, but now, they were all that separated us from the devastation behind us and life in front of us. Today, when i think about those stairs, what they represent to me is resiliency of the people there that day trying to help each other and later the resiliency of our country. Those 38 steps mean everything. [ applause ] we will never understand why one person escaped and another didnt, how random it all seems and how powerless it makes us all feel. What this museum does is allow us to see is that we absolutely can affect each others lives by what we do at a time of cries, how we are strengthened by what was done that day. September 11 brought out the largest Emergency Response in new york city history, 1,000 firefighters, 2,000 police officers, and 100 city and volunteer ambulances rushed into action. When both towers fell, logic said no one could have survived and lived to tell the tale. The south tower fell and no one survived. In the meantime, the men from the new York City Fire department and Port Authority police were still inside the north tower attempting to rescue the remaining civilians. When they reached the third floor, the 107 floors of the north tower fell on top of them. Lt. Mickey cross remembered that he heard a huge roar and then everything went dark and totally silent. Buried in debris, he tried to protect himself by making himself so small that he might be able to climb into his helmet. When he heard faint voices calling out, he realized he wasnt alone. He sent may day signals, hoping someone might hear them. Hours passed. Outside, there was nothing but piles of fiery wreckage. Not only could rescuers not locate the north tower, they didnt even know where to begin, and yet they kept digging and digging and digging. Its my honor to introduce you to mickey kross and 11 members of the new York City Fire department and Port AuthorityPolice Department, all of them had been trapped together. God bless them and god bless america. [ applause ] we were trapped way down inside a dark hole and after a while, we saw the small beam of light about 30 feet above us. It was sunlight that had broken through the smoke, and even though it only lasted for a little while, it was enough to let us know there was an opening. It turned out the rescue workers could see it, too. They finally came towards us, they couldnt believe we had survived and would walk out on our own. They continued to look for other survivors. There had been 14 of us trapped in the stairwell trying to stay alive and searching for a way out. Miraculously, we survived. Once we got out, we saw complete devastation. The whole trade center was gone. All you could see were huge pieces of twisted steel and fires everywhere, and workers, never giving up on finding people. After our rescue, many of us joined the rescue and recovery teams at ground zero to do for others what had been done for us. We had to. We had come together at ground zero to help each other out, there was a real sense of caring for one another. This is something we should never forget and never stop doing. Thank you. [ applause ] i am manny rodriguez, and i am a member of teamsters local 282. I worked at ground zero in heavy construction for nine months. My name is pia hoffman. Im a crane operator and worked at ground zero for eight months. My name is tony fsrarra. Im a detective in the Police Department and worked at ground zero for nine months. My name is steve butler. Im a lt. With the Port AuthorityPolice Emergency service unit. I worked at ground zero for nine months in rescue and recovery. After learning losing my procedure tommy, a firefighter with squad Company Number one, i was the first person to put his picture on this piece of steel, which we called the last column. After that, many others followed with pictures and signatures. [ bell rings ] the last column was part of the last area that was searched. It really tells three stories, the building, the destruction acknowledge clean up effort. As the site was cleared, and the beam came to stand alone, people that were working at the site and family members began affixing the photos. Everyone was putting things on the column. We had a through atop it and it was the icon on the site. The sheer size of it, the number of signatures, farewells, not only to lost loved ones, but also to this new family that developed on ground zero. We all became this family that worked together to try to make other families feel better. We would never fill a hole but if we made it smaller, that was all it could do. That column means something to us. We completed a job and did a job well done. That last beam symbolizes the best of what humanity can do. [ bell rings ] of all the heartbreaking things we had to learn how to do after september 11, the most necessary was and the most difficult was finding a way to honor every Single Person who was on those four planes in the pentagon or the World Trade Center towers and those who died trying to save them, to give their families and us a place to come and remember them. Now, near where we are now, there is such a place, filled with the photos, keepsakes and stories of those we lost. These are hour book of memory. In the area called memorial hall, there stands a three story high wall connecting the footprints of the once mighty north and south towers. On it are written 10 simple words by the great poet virgil that express what this museum is all about. No day shall erase you from the memory of time. From there, you walk through to the wall of faces, lined from floor to ceiling with smiling fathers, daughters, brothers, nieces, family and loved ones. In the same way we have photos in our own homes, these pictures are alive with the memories of the birthdays and weddings, barbecues and baseball games of those we lost. What you will be looking at are the pages of the chapter in our history we call september 11. Where . Oh there he goes. Its good picture. It is. You would be so proud of your daughter, just amazing, just like you. All these faces, different people. Wow. This is a couple of weeks before 9 11 happened. I love this one. Yeah. Thats him. Thats your smile. Mannerisms, everything is just like your father. You look like him. Yeah. And you act like him. You act like him. And sound like him. So many, right . There she is. I love that picture. You were three and you were two. I know all these names now, you know . Marian simone, although she is taking care of herself and wanted to look at pretty as possible, she all her friends were 30s and she was 50s. She hung out with them. She had gone to the biker bar the night before. [ laughter ] she said it was embarrassing, but now were doing the same stuff. When he heard the call on the radio, he told his partners, i got to go, and he just ran up the stairs and he just hailed a cab and went straight to those buildings, and he did what he had to do. He had to go help people. It was so spontaneous, he would just get up, john, were going here. Lets do Something Different today. He just felt that life was too short to plan things. I think i learned that on that day. Right there thats robert. Mama adopted you and named you. Roberta hope chin, because i was the new hope for the family. Thats right. And i am his niece and namesake. Yes, your uncle roberts niece and namesake. This is a place where thousands of stories converge, where we can touch the face of history, our history, and yet while we come here to remember the past, it is the future, too, that stands with us in this hall. To truly honor that day, we must promise both to keep our memories of it alive and to search for ways to build something positive in the names of those we lost. They were the pride of their families and the pride of their countries, their stories, their spirit, and their examples can live on, as our guides and our beacons by making their names and their lives stand for something meaningful in our world. What greater legacy can there be for the lives cut short than to live in the good works created in their names . My name is Ada Rosario Dolch and my sister wendy worked in the World Trade Center. I worked two blacks away as a principal of a high school that encouraged leadership and public service. That morning, it was my job to protect our 600 plus students, but i couldnt protect my sister. My whole life has been about educating children. After wendy died, i was with friends and said imagine if we went to afghanistan and we built a school there, what a kick in the head to osama bin laden. Kathy and others joined forces and four years after 9 11, a school was opened in my sisters memory in afghanistan. [ applause ] about 200 boys and girls came to study and since then, many, many more, all of them entrusted with education and their countrys future. There can be beauty out of the ashes. Its hard work, but it can be done. My name is jim laychack. My brother was a civilian working for the democratic of the army. After the attack, many wondered how will we remember those we lost . As family members, we needed to find a way to honor and remember them and in the process maybe find a way to heal ourselves. Working together with friends, colleagues, families, supporters from around the world, we opened the pentagon memorial on september 11, 2008. It is a place we remember 184 men, women and children, a place to provide solace and healing surrounded by the beauty of life. My brother dave and i had been young together and expected to get old together, playing golf and argue about who had the better grandchildren. Now we have grandchildren that only read about the day in books. Some think the people it happened to werent real, but we are here to help them know that they were. My hope now is to create an Educational Center at the pentagon memorial where students can come and get to know their countrys story and the very real people who lived it. [ applause ] wed like to end our dedication ceremony on a note of hope that all the visitors to this museum, those who lived through the tragedy and those young enough to be learning about it for the first time will come away with a sense not of the worst of humanity, but of the best. There are hard lessons in history to be learned here, but also shafts of life that can illuminate our days ahead. To all those who have worked tirelessly to bring this museum and its ideals to life, we owe you our deepest gratitude and appreciation, special thanks to joe daniels president and Alice Greenwald of the 9 11 Memorial Museum. [ applause ] this museum is a testament to the resilience, the courage, and the compassion of the human spirit that lies within each and every human being, so i think its only fitting then that we bring our ceremony to a close with one of aaron copelands most enduring and life affirming pieces, fanfare for the common man. Is. Hello, and welcome to aljazeera america. Im del walters. And these are the stories were following for you of. It was very hard for me to come here today. But i wanted to do so, so i could say thank you. As you watch a somber remembrance at ground zero as the 9 11 memorial opens officially in new york. Thousands forced to evacuate california. With strong winds and dry conditions only add fuel to the fires burning. Sec carry of Veterans Affairs now on the hot seat with an