Absolutely no one could have known it would be all gone in less than 24 hours. Today, this site is a memorial to more than 2700 people that lost their lives here on September 11. Victims of the worst Terrorist Attack in american history. Tonight, President Biden will leave the white House And Travel to new york. Tomorrow he will come here to remember those lost and those Left Behind. He will travel to the Pentagon Site of the third Terrorist Attack, and shanksville, pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed enroute to washington, d. C. I want to bring in my colleague, Kelly Odonnell at the White House. Courtney kube at the pentagon. Think back. Joe biden was a senator when the 9 11 attacks happened. Now he is president. Talk to us about his experience in the last 20 years, how it is going to shape the way he marks tomorrows anniversary. Reporter in many ways, the sweeping part of Joe Bidens public life really is overlapping with Americas Journey from 9 1120 years ago to now. He has been part of all of the policy decisions. He was a senator at the time, who got a Phone Call from his wife, now First Lady, alerting him a plane struck a building in new york in early moments when people couldnt conceive of the fact that this was not an Accident But Attack and all that would follow. At the forefront of Policy Debates on what should happen. Tomorrow expect to see the president more as a national observer. He will not be making a speech. He will do the solemn march if you will from each of the locations beginning in new york, going to shanksville, pennsylvania, also at the pentagon here in the d. C. Area to mark the three locations where the attacks happened, where lives were lost, where heroism was on display. It really is not going to be a day where the voice of Joe Biden will loom over events, he will in some ways be a stand in for president s who president s since he was the one that day in a classroom in florida in what was in many ways a typical president ial domestic trip that turned into so much more. This will have the feeling of solemnity of the time but less Voice Or Presence of the president except as one among us honoring those who were lost and the significance of the events. Different kind of tone for something of this solemn nate you are. The big Shadow Hanging over this is afghanistan. President biden wanted to mark this anniversary in part by declaring the end of the war in afghanistan but while were here honoring victims of 9 11 tomorrow, the taliban will be celebrating because they won the war. How is the president going to navigate the optics going forward . Well, i think it is important to note that the president while he wont be marking the end of the Afghanistan War tomorrow, he is already marked that. And the president has made it a point to say he didnt want another generation of americans to go into afghanistan to give their lives for a war the united states is not winning. The united states is balancing the optics saying we are out of that war. American lives, american troops are not going to be at risk with the taliban. The other thing to note is that talking to White House officials, this is a President Standing in for all mourning americans. While he is the president of the united states, he is someone from pennsylvania, from that area who understands what it means to lose people you love in tragic and sudden ways. Not the members of his family, not victims of a Terrorist Attack, but still he understands in a lot of ways the Mourning And Grieving of futures that youre not going to be able to see. This will be a president making that solemn march with that in mind. That being said, i go back to the idea that the president had and things he said soon after the 9 11 attacks. He said in 2001 this is not a time for fear or to retreat, this is a time to unite as americans. While he might not be speaking tomorrow, just his presence and not speaking is him trying to underscore the idea this is a time the americans or americans all over the country should be uniting and in some ways happy and focused on the idea we are going forward without being in afghanistan, without being tied in americas longest war any more. Courtney, people at the pentagon are used to directing conflicts in other countries and other parts of the world. A 9 11 war literally came to their doorstep. How are they marking this anniversary . Reporter thats right, steph. Every year theres a very solemn ceremony at the pentagon. A moment of silence, a laying of the wreath. You generally see the president come for at least one of the events on September 11. 20 years ago, flight 77 slammed into the building on what is still known here as the Ground Zero here at the pentagon. Theres now a Memorial Site there. Flight 77, there were 59 people lost on that plane, another 125 killed here in the building. As i said, every single year this is a solemn event. As years have gone on, fewer and fewer people are here working of the 26,000 roughly people that are here every day, fewer and fewer are here that were here that day, but it doesnt change the fact it is still a solemn you day, one that is marked every single year with remembrances. One thing that now 20 years later that the military has in common with September 11, 2001, for the first time again since then there are no u. S. Military on the ground in afghanistan. The u. S. Is completely out. The withdrawal ended, Military Withdrawal ended august 31st, so this will be a different remembrance. They will also think about Men And Women, more than 2,000 of them died fighting in the two decade conflict, steph. Courtney, thank you. He was literally at the president s side when it happened. This is the famous photo of then white House Chief of Staff Andy Card informing then president george w. Bush that our country was under attack. He is noi an nbc political analyst that joins us now. Good to see you. Unfortunately, it is such a sad time. I know you told this story of your 9 11 experience many times. Help us understand September 10th, 2001. What was the state of our country and how did it change the next day when you delivered your message . September 10th was a Day Americans did not wake up with fear. They were loving life in this great country. Our democracy was vibrant. People had lots of different views. People identify themselves as republicans and democrats, there was lots of tension in the political process, but there was no fear. We were looking forward to going to work. Labor day had come and gone, it was the first full Work Week to have after start of school and people were excited. I think i would describe it as there was no fear. There was optimism, excitement, people were engaged in their democracy and their economy. Thats what September 10th was like. At the White House, i had a team of advanced people being sent to new York City to get ready for the u. N. General assembly meetings. So we had a team of advanced people and folks from the State Department and the national Security Team in new York City getting ready for the president to come address the united nations general assembly. At the White House, we were getting the lawn ready on the back of the White House to host a congressional picnic, and there was also a very wonderful parade honoring our relationship with australia in presenting the prime minister John Howard of Australia A Bell from World War ii in gratitude for the wonderful partnership we had with the australians, there was a 21 Gun Salute and parades at the Navy Yard in washington, d. C. That was kind of a historic great Picture Thing happening in d. C. And then we went out, got on Air Force one and flew to jacksonville, florida, and the president went to a school, talked about leaving no child behind in education, and that event went well. It was the president s favorite topic. He wanted to get rid of bigotry of low expectation. Then we went to sarasota, florida. We landed in sarasota, got to the resort, got out of the limousine. I remember the terrible stench, Red Tide was there, it stunk with dead fish. We ran in, dropped off luggage and piled back in the limousine and went into tampa, st. Pete, had a relaxing dinner with the president and his friends and he didnt have to work, didnt have to take photographs or stand in a receiving line, he had a good time, his brother the governor at the time Jeb Bush had friends together. It was a great time. The president stayed out late, something george w. Bush didnt like to do often, but he did then. He came back to the resort and went to sleep. So September 10th was a day of optimism, that kids werent going to be Left Behind in Education And Excitement at the White House, thinking about the president going for his first address to the united nations general assembly, getting the advanced team ready. It was also a day when the average american had never heard of the taliban. We didnt think about afghanistan, we didnt think about iraq. Did September 11 change the way we think, that we realize what happens around the world also matters here . September 11th was a dramatic change. Number one, fear was delivered to america. The role of a terrorist is to create fear and they did that on September 11th and they violated us. And it is a haunting memory for me, all of the images of that day. I cant imagine people deciding to jump out of a building rather than stand there because they didnt want to burn by the fire. I cant imagine running through the streets of new York City with a cloud chasing you. I cant imagine being on a plane, hearing struggles, people crying and desperate. I cant imagine being on a plane and talking to someone who says this is whats happening and they get together and say lets pray and lets roll. The whole thing changed. It changed overnight. Fear became part of american life and it wasnt on September 10th. But it unified us. I heard you say this earlier. After the horrible attacks, right, i am a new yorker. It brought the city together. It brought this country together. Here we are 20 years later and this country is so divided. Do you see anything that could bring us together again in the kind of way that we were in the wake of 9 11. I pray that we can, especially tomorrow, remember the victims of 9 11. We remember were all americans. Republicans, give up your label. Democrats, give up your label. Stand proudly as an american. September 11, 2001, not only did republicans and democrats call themselves americans first, the entire world, the people in great britain, france, germany, japan, australia, they said we are americans too today. Yes. We were united. George w. Bush became president because the Supreme Court picked him. There was great controversy. America was divided in early 2001. The president s leadership because of his responsibility to meet the Oath Of Office to preserve, protect, defend, he brought us together. He gave us permission not to be tribal, to get together, be united. Even if we stand together proud as americans tomorrow, the taliban will be standing together proud tomorrow because they won the war. How does that make you feel about whats happened in afghanistan and was it all worth it . I dont think they did win the war. They recaptured the right to govern which i dont think they ever had the Right And Shouldnt be governing, but we won the war. Our Men And Women that sacrificed prevented other attacks coming from afghanistan. The taliban has a chance to be an ally in fighting terror. I hope they will. I dont believe, i dont trust their words, i want to see their deeds. But look, i am nervous about whats happening in afghanistan and i pray that the taliban does not ever harbor terrorists. George w. Bush when he was president , the first speech he gave after he returned to washington, d. C. Was. Caller was 8 30 at night. It was a short address from the oval office. He said if youre a national leader and your nation harbors terrorists, youre just as guilty as the terrorists. He said if youre harboring terrorists, youre just as guilty as the terrorists. Youre with us or against us. He called for World Leaders to be with us. Dont harbor terrorists. Every president who succeeded george w. Bush kept that promise and had the same expectation. The taliban should be on notice if they harbor terrorists, theyre just as guilty as the terrorists and they have to watch out. There is resolve called american resolve and it will show up. So yes, we can keep our word, yes, we can be optimistic, yes, we can be united. Celebrate our democracy, participate it, respect it. The truth is, when i get involved in politics, The Rug Of American Politics has more rug than fringe. Today it has more fringe than rug. Lets invite people to stand on the rug and govern and help protect us. I pray that the president will keep his Oath Of Office, preserve, protect, defend. Thats the job of the president. I am grateful youre with us today. Thank you so much, andy card. Tomorrow, join Msnbc Special Coverage marking 20 years since the 9 11 Terrorist Attacks. Coverage starts at 5 00 a. M. Eastern with alex whit, anchoring live from Ground Zero. Brian williams and Nicolle Wallace at 8 00 a. M. I will join Ali Velshi for continuing coverage at 11 00 eastern. America remembers 20 years later, Tomorrow Morning here on msnbc. Well have much more from Ground Zero coming up. President Biden Set to visit a local school following last Nights Game changing speech on vaccine mandates. He said to america get vaccinated. E mandates said to america get vaccinated hey, son no dad, its a video call. You got to move the phone in front of you like. Like its a mirror, dad. You know . Alright, okay. Hows that . Is that how you hold a mirror . 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We are here at Ground Zero as tomorrow marks 20 years since the attacks that rocked our nation. This morning, theres another big story. I am tossing to Chris Jansing who is at 30 Rock with the latest. Thanks very much. Vaccine refusers are on notice. The biden administration has an aggressive new plan to get shots in arms. The message, the time for incentives or pleading to convince you is over. Weve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin and your refusal has cost all of us. In a sweeping move, the president announcing any company with more than 100 employees must mandate vaccinations or weekly testing. In addition, all federal workers or companies with federal contracts must have their employees vaccinated with no testing option. That includes 17 Million Health Care workers at Medicare And Medicaid participating facilities. Any minute now, the president and First Lady will continue that push at a local school in d. C. Speaking of schools, overnight, Los Angeles county, the second largest School District in the nation made it mandatory for students 12 and older, anybody eligible, to be vaccinated to attend in person. Joining me, nbc news white House Correspondent Monica alba. So first, the push from the president , now the push back from several republican governors, the Republican National Committee announcing it will sue to stop what it calls unconstitutional mandate. I am sure this is no surprise to the White House. Whats the strategy moving forward, and how quickly could all of this happen . Reporter the White House is bracing for many legal fights, something they were evaluating, they knew it would be a likely response. I am told the president felt it was a necessary step that theyre not as worried about what political and legal fights may come, even though surely some republican governors are already signaling that. In terms of the timeline, some of these things are going into effect now. For instance, Executive Orders that apply to federal workers and contractors. The clock starts now on the 75 days in which they have to comply with getting vaccinations or facing potential termination. Talking about companies that have more than 100 employees. That Emergency Rule from Department Of Labor is going to take longer to write and put into effect. Youre going to see this happen in phases. When it comes to particularly what the president s message was, he told governors in some red states without calling them out by name they were getting in the way of and in his words using the pandemic politics which is detrimental to public health. But the reason he is going to a School Today is because, again, he wants to apply political pressure, even though he doesnt have as much Executive Authority in places like the classroom. Amped up to a new level. Thank you for that. Let me send it to stephanie at Ground Zero in lower manhattan. Thank you, chris. Ahead, many ways in which the 9 11 attacks fundamentally changed the Way America defends itself. As we reflect on the past 20 years, many across the country are thinking about heroes that stepped up in the face of tragedy. We must never forget the sacrifice of all the people that worked on the pile, all the first responders that gave all. They ran towards danger when others were running away from it. We must never forget them. It we must never forget them. Proj. Worth is giving the people who build it a solid foundation. Wealth is shutting down the office for mikes retirement party. Worth is giving the employee who spent half his life with you, the party of a lifetime. Wealth is watching your business grow. Worth is watching your employees grow with it. Principal. For all its worth. At usaa, weve been called too exclusive. Because we only serve those who honorably served. All ranks, all branches, and their families. Are we still exclusive . Absolutely. 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Names of passengers are thoroughly vetted before they get to the airport. This is especially true of passengers flying from overseas. This is something of a hard one concession the u. S. Got from its European Allies that were concerned at first about violations of privacy. But of course, security extends not just to airports and Air Travel but any big event, super bowl, political conventions. You see much more screening. Designation of them is national special security events, with big outlay of federal responsibility. I think another way in which security has changed, stephanie, more people realize that security is something they are personally responsible for. I think of an example of a flight from Los Angeles to atlanta, delta Airlines Flight in june, the pilot came on and said i need able bodied males to subdue an unruly passenger and people streamed to the front of the plane to help control this person. Sort of you could say the spirit of united Flight 93, one of the planes that crashed on September 11th. It was determined to be headed for washington but by the time it got 20 minutes flying time away from washington, passengers had been using cell phones, had been talking to people, they realized other planes were hijacked and stormed the cockpit. Thats the reason the plane crashed in pennsylvania and never hit its intended target in washington. So people are taking more responsibility for their security. See something, say something is now part of our national dna. But in many ways, the government, stephanie, is struggling to cope with new threats. Cyber as an example. Another example is consider the prevalence now of drones. Terrorists have been using them overseas to drop explosives. Three years ago, normal Hobby Drones were used in attempt to kill the president of venezuela. But congress only recently gave federal agencies legal authority they need to start developing drone counter measures. In some ways, though security changed radically for big Set Piece threats and conventional threats, the government is still struggling to cope with new threats, stephanie. Thanks, pete. Lets dig deeper, bring in jeh johnson. He is on the board of the 9 11 memorial and museum. Before 9 11, Intelligence Gathering in this country was spread out across a bunch of agencies. We didnt have a department of homeland security. Where are we today in terms of assessing and identifying threats . Well, in terms of assessing and identifying threats i think were much better than we were, were much better at connecting the dots. I was not a fan of the creation of dni when it was created in 2002 or 2003. I thought it was another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy. But ive seen it work. As a Consumer Intelligence products, when i was second of homeland security, if you have the right kind of leadership over the Intelligence Community. Were much better connecting the dots. I believe if there were another large Scale Plot like a 9 11 today involving so many actors, our fbi, our dhs, Intelligence Community hopefully would be able to detect that at an early stage. It is smaller Scale Plots where we are challenged, self radicalized actors and all the things pete mentioned, cyber security, Aviation Security is something we still have to be mindful. The Threat Picture continues to evolve. I want to share about what current Dhs Secretary said about the current threats we face. Watch this. Now the threat is the domestic terrorist, the domestic violent extremist, the individual who is radicalized to violence by reason of an ideology of hate or false narratives that are propagated on social media platforms. When you juxtapose that with 9 11 when the country came together, is this where we are, americans are now the biggest Terror Threat . We evolved from terrorists, foreign terrorists directed attacks reflected by whats behind us, large scale foreign directed attacks to foreign inspired attacks where a foreign Terrorist Organization inspires a lone actor over the internet and sounds like devolve, not evolve. Tracked by the Antidefamation League and others, the Principle Threat is domestic based violent extremism here at home. Then you have all of the other threats. If you asked me today, September 11, 2021, what are the top Security Threats to the home land, my first three are global warming, global warming, global warming. And the threat of severe weather events on aging infrastructure which is just blocks from where you and i sit. Cyber security, covid, and then the threat of domestic based violent extremism is the Number One Terrorism Threat Today to the home land. 9 11, you were at work in midtown. What happened to you that day . How did it impact you . It changed everything for me. I was General Counsel of department of the Air Force in the clinton administration. I left the pentagon 8 months before. I was a private citizen again like i am now. I was with the same Law Firm then that i am now in the same building at 1285. Nothing is the same. And when it happened, my first instinct was ive got to go back to the pentagon, got to go back to washington. And as a private citizen, all i could do is sit and watch, volunteer where i could, offer my help where i could, and then seven years later when President Obama was elected, i went back as General Counsel of the department of defense. Grateful that you did. Secretary, thank you. I want to bring into the Conversation Someone who defended our nation on the frontlines, New Jersey democratic congresswoman, member of the armed Services Committee and navy veteran. Congresswoman, where were you when the planes hit 20 years ago . I was at the u. S. Atlantic fleet headquarters, stephanie. I was Flag Aid to Deputy Commander in chief to the Atlantic Fleet. I was in norfolk, virginia as we were receiving reports. When you think about where we are now, two months ago, the people in your District Werent talking about afghanistan, they werent thinking about the taliban, and even though the war ended 11 days ago, pre9 11 the taliban was responsible, Made Afghanistan A Haven for terrorists. Were scared today. People in your district are scared in a way they werent two or three months ago, though maybe we should have been. Are you scared today . No, stephanie. I think im not. And i guess because i put it in context how i felt after 9 11. Like so many people, the horrific visual of our nation under attack. All of the information coming out. If you recall at the time, and i recall because as i said i was at the Atlantic Fleet headquarters, we had the pentagon attacked, we were trying to get jets in the air scrambled because we grounded all flights because of what just happened. We had reports in norfolk that the White House was on fire, that the capitol had been attacked, the mall had been attacked, there were terrorist cells. We were trying to get through what you study in Military Schools as the fog of War And Understanding in that chaos how we could best protect the nation and we got past that, but there was this visceral fear that every landmark could be a Terrorist Attack, that every time your loved one went into the city, they might not come back. And were not living under that fear again. Were concerned but as Secretary Johnson said, we have taken measures to make sure our Intelligence Apparatus is now functioning better than it was pre9 11. So the world is a very different place. We have a lot of threats but were meeting those challenges and certainly as somebody who was on the floor of the House Of Representatives on january 6th, i am very concerned about domestic terrorism, but were addressing that as well. As a nation, i think were going to continue to move forward on strong footing in large part because of the sacrifices of Men And Women that served in afghanistan for so many years. Your district is filled with Men And Women who commute to new York Dayin and dayout. What does tomorrow mean to them . Well, stephanie, tomorrow i will be going to towns across my district. As you know in New Jersey my district is a lot of towns that are situated along the Train Commuter lines. Just about every town in my district has a Steel Beam from the towers falling and memorial of people that died. About 40 of people that died that day in the towers were from New Jersey. We just are so closely connected to September 11, so we will be remembering all of the people that we lost, well be remembering all of those from the towns as i go across our towns that never came home that day, and i think were all just going to be remembering how thankful we are for all our Loved Ones who did come home that day because i have so many constituents that have stories of barely escaping with their lives and i think were all going to be both saddened by the loss that day but also really happy so many people have done such good in the aftermath. I was just last weekend, they made the tunnels to towers run made a stop in morristown, New Jersey, and we were talking about all the good theyve done in remembrance of those who perished that day. Homes they bought not just for people that lost Loved Ones in 9 11 but for other first responders families who needed help when their loved one died, and even for the veterans who served our country in the aftermath of 9 11. I think the thing that we remember from that day is the heroism and all of the bravery that took place and all of the people that took that moment to give back to our community. Congresswoman, thank you so much for joining us. Secretary, thank you. Up next, i share my personal story from downtown new York City on 9 11. The memory of that day for so many of us still so clear. Downtown new York City was the financial capital of the world, still is. But so different. , still is but so different we saw the planes hit the World Trade Center and eventually the towers fell. Our good friend, todd reuben, was one of the people that had died on the plane that hit the pentagon. That was honestly a punch to the gut. 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The attacks at the World Trade Center fundamentally changed the financial industry, Wall Street, made a lasting impact on people that worked here that day. I took time to reflect On My Own experience working in this neighborhood and in this industry 20 years ago. 20 years ago i had a job as junior salesperson at a Wall Street bank, working on a Trading Floor. A Football Field sized room crammed with desks and giant tv screens. As soon as the first plane hit, the Trading Floor, normally so, so loud went completely silent. Wall street is a small community. It wasnt that we knew someone in those buildings, we all knew dozens. ThE Traders i worked with had direct Phone Lines to brokers in the World Trade Center. Guys next to me, telling them what was happening on tv screens. After that second plane hit, there was a distinct change. Concern turned to panic. I could hear my coworkers, my bosses starting to ask how you guys going to get out of there. Within hours, the bank sent all of us home. Like so many new yorkers, i didnt know what to do with myself. I made a list of everyone i knew inside, frantically started calling friends, families, and eventually hospitals, until there was no one left to call but still names on my list. We watched this whole industry get decimated which made it so painfully strange weeks and months later because Wall Street, markets, they keep moving, but people we did business with just no longer there. 20 years ago there was such a concentration of financial Man Power in those two towers. It is called the financial district. Since then, thats not the case. Firms moved to other parts of the city and to other cities completely. But the memory of people that worked at the firms lives on. 20 years later, many of their children, now adults, work at those companies, alongside people that worked with their mothers and fathers. Our next guest, austin, is one of those very people. He lost his dad al on 9 11, and is following in his career footsteps as a bond broker. He works at Cantor Fitzgerald that lost 658 employees that day. It was nearly twothirds of its work force. The most fatalities of any company. The ceo, howard with us. He lost a brother that day. Howard didnt go to work on 9 11 because he was bringing his son to kindergarten. Since then, the firm made a huge commitment to 9 11 families like austins. Both of you join us now. Howard, i wish you were next to me. If there was ever a day to give you a hug, it would be today. Austin, i know Today And Tomorrow are as hard as they come. I want to start by asking how you feel. It is crazy, we have come so far, 20 years. It is a big milestone. On one hand, feels like yesterday. But i feel like we have come a long way. Howard, what people dont realize about your company and even your industry, brokers are the connective piece. Talk about lives lost and to people that survived, what it has been like to move on. We had a policy at the firm, only wanted to work with people we liked. We would go to each of the employees, all have the same rainbow of friends, friends on the left, smart, capable, total winners, friends on the right, make you laugh harder in a bar than anybody. Lets hire all the ones on the left. We all hired these great people. And they hired great people. We werent one big happy family, we were just a tight, tight group of people. To lose all those people, not only did i lose my brother, i lost my best friend, my other best friends brotherinlaw, we all worked together. Thats why Cantor Fitzgerald pulled together to take care of families of those we lost. Imagine that i have austin standing next to me, right . We worked with his dad, al. His dad was much bigger than him, had big hair. Im like what happened to you, youre like my size. Not the same. But think of how amazing it is to have austin at Cantor Fitzgerald. That means his mom loves the company, he loves the company. Whats better than that. Austin, what is that like for you to be surrounded by people who knew and loved your dad. You lost him when you were such a young boy. Yeah, absolutely. You know, it is a great feeling and when i was coming out of college and deciding where i wanted to work, i couldnt think of a better place, you know, to feel like a second home to me. Im in my Comfort Zone and it has been great going on five years now, a little more. Austin is a Health Care banker. His dad was an i. T. Guy, total tech guy. Now he is breaking away from that. He is a Health Care banker. He has a great Health Care Banking Franchise and i love that we give them opportunity to grow and shine. It is the best for us. Not just austin, howard. Over the years you hired 60 what you call Legacy Brokers like austin. Why is it important to hire them, keep them in the cantor family. It is not a business with corner offices. I look behind you, a Trading Floor. You sit six, ten inches away from the Man Or Woman next to you. It is a family. Correct. And it is a family. Look, we love their dads and moms. We knew them really well. Weve built a great connection with widows and widowers so the ability to have the Family Members, i was walking around the Trading Floor and i saw sarah dwyer, just a great, young woman, trades high Grade Corporates and her dad was a Rock Star in equities for us. These are wonderful, young people who we love and were going to care for and well give them the opportunities they want for their careers to grow and flourish and what a great honor for us. The best way to show someone you love who died is to love the people that they loved, and Cantor Fitzgerald, we just feel the best about that. Amen to that. Austin, before i let you go, besides his hair, what do you want people to know about your father, al . He had a really big personality, liked to make people laugh. He loved the people that he worked with and really had a great experience at cantor. Im glad im following in his footsteps here. Yeah. His dad was a great guy, just full of personality, full of life, fantastic person. We loved him. Howard, i know you are a force, youre a personality, but tell us what has this been like for you, these 20 years . You are carrying so much. I had only worked 18 years at the company when 9 11 happened, and i thought that was my life and now its been 20 years since then. So ive really worked at this company longer. Weve built the company but we tried to keep the families and weve tried to keep the memory of 9 11 deeply inside of us and its a part of us. It doesnt define us but its a part of us. Over 12,000 employees, Bgc Partners is public and flourishing, we have newmark, which is public and flourishing and Cantor Fitzgerald, just we are a force because we are human beings. We understand what pain is like, and we try to take care of other people with our Charity Day which is today. Today all the people behind us waved their base pay. Every penny of every piece of business we do today is going to charity. Last year we raised just under 12 Million. Im hoping, im hoping if we can get more done, hopefully well raise 12 Million bucks today. I certainly hope you will. Austin, pleasure to meet you. Howard, always good to see you. I wish it was on a happier day. If you want to make a donation to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund Visit cantorrelief. Org. Today here at Ground Zero in new York City, but dont forget, it is not the only site of the 9 11 attacks. That morning, united Flight 93 took off from newark hijacked by terrorists whose target was believed to be the u. S. Capitol but the heroic passengers, the heroes and the crew on that plane fought back steering away from the Capitol And Crashing into a field in shanksville, pennsylvania. Their sacrifice saved thousands of lives, and derailed what could have been an even bigger tragedy than the one we all witnessed. My Colleague And Friend Craig Melvin joins me from the very place the Family Members of Flight 93 victims were taken to see that scene 20 years ago. Craig, you were standing at the very site of the shanksville memorial. What does it feel like to be there right now . Reporter youre moved as soon as you step foot on the property. Where im physically standing where Family Members first came, mementos, flags and candles and placed them here as they looked down below at the Crash Site. This is precisely where its a few hundred yards from here, where Flight 93 came crashing down and the Family Members would come and they would watch A Thousand or so volunteers, folks from about 17 different federal agencies sift through the wreckage, trying to find their Loved Ones and they did that and days and weeks after. Youve been talking about heroes and there were so many that day. The firefighters and the police officers, those were heroes in uniforms. These were folks who boarded a flight from New Jersey, headed to San Francisco on Business Trips, on vacations, to see friends and family. They did not sign up to be heroes that morning and a lot of attention is paid to Todd Beamer, going on a Business Trip himself to San Francisco for one day. He was an Account Manager and it was Todd Beamer who said lets roll as they stormed the cockpit. Those were his last words. We heard him on that cockpit voice recorder, both of which were recovered here. Down to my left, Beamers Name and the 39 others, 40 names on columns of marble, each bearing the name of one of the folks who lost their lives that day, further marking the Flight Path of 93 and of course the Crash Site as you know is marked by a massive boulder. You cant see it from our vantage point, but it was a large boulder that was taken from another area here on the property and placed there to help folks never forget what happened here in shanksville. Never forget. Those heroes, remember, craig, where did that Flight Leave from . Jersey, they were strong. Reporter thats right. That wraps up this hour. Im stephanie ruehl. Hallie jackson picks up live coverage from the pentagon next, and do not forget tomorrow, Msnbc Special Coverage marking 20 years since the 9 11 terror attacks, beginning at 5 00 a. M. , Brian Williams and Nicole Wallace will pick up the coverage at 8 00 a. M. And Ali Velshi will lead continuing coverage at 11 00 a. M. Eastern. America remembers 20 years later Tomorrow Morning right here on msnbc. As someone who resembles someone else. I appreciate that Liberty Mutual knows everyones unique. Thats why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Oh, yeah. Thats the spot. 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