right now and she's doing great. say hello to golly for us. i love you. bill: live look at ground zero. family members and victims reading names of those lost with those personal touches that we hear every time this year. we await a moment of silence right now, marking the instant that united airlines flight 175 struck the south tower of the world trade center. that's where we start this morning as we move through this event together as a nation. welcome here to our coverage. i'm bill hemmer. how are you, martha? martha: i'm doing fine. good morning bill. good morning everybody. i'm martha maccallum. as we all remember 11 years later 9:03 a.m., september 11th, 2001 was the moment the second plane hit the towers. the moment many of us realized clearly our nation was under attack. on this day of remembrance we'll bring you the somber moments from ground zero, the pentagon and shanksville, pennsylvania and some of the memories what is good in some ways about the strength and courage and power of patriotism in the country on that day. bill: as family members take turns stepping up to the microphone you will see various shots throughout the skyline here in new york city. the freedom tower, formally known as the freedom tower, now world trade center 1. about a year and a half. 1776 feet tall. it is a remarkable sight to see. what they have accomplished in lower manhattan. and also it's up for debate as what they have yet to get done. we'll move through all the top ibbs throughout the day here. it was so striking to hear, say hello to daisy up there. daisy could be the pet dog or pet cat or maybe the goldfish that left us some time ago. it is those poignant moments we will hear on and on the next couple hours. >> my sister-in-law. [moment of silence] >> craig michael black. richard middleton blood, jr.. >> michael andrew bacardi. >> michael bochi [o. >> susan bochino. >> mary katherine boca. >> nick as boddaf. >> lawrence francis besseau. >> vincent boman, jr.. >> and drew boheur, jr.. >> colin bonnet. >> frank bonomo. >> yvonne bonomo. >> genevieve bonsignore. >> mary jane booth. >> sheri an bordeaux. >> christine bordenabe. >> martin, boryczew ask. i. >> richard edward besco. >> my aunt see seal king. we love you and miss you every day. we will never forgot. >> my son firefighter frank esposito and my nephew, captain michael esposito we miss you daily. may god keep you safe. >> the moment, that is the second tower was hit was clearly a loss of innocence, a loss of beliefing that it cobe anything but an attack on the united states and a realization as a nation we would never really be the same again after this moment. and also, that, we would most likely soon be at war in one way or another. and all of that in these moments, 11 years ago began to sink in. you look at that beautiful reflecting pool that marks that spot at ground zero. all of it opened last year. bill and i were down there and watched as those ceremonies took place. it is a striking, striking memorial. i have to say this morning on my way into the city it was dark and the red, white and blue on the tower of world trade center 1 was overwhelming to me. it was so moving. and it is not yet finished which some people are not too happy about but, boy, it is quite a sight on the skyline of new york city now. bill: if you have been to the memorial site or maybe have plans to come in the coming year or years to come, those pools sit within the footprints where the twin towers once stood, north and south tower. those reflecting pools that come in and out of your camera view here. nearly an acre inside. that gives you a sense how enormous these man-made structures were in lower manhattan. it is the largest man-made waterfalls in north america. eric shawn live at ground zero and with us now. eric, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, bill. it is a day just like that day 11 years ago. a tuesday, crisp and clear. beautiful blue sky, people rushing to work as i was that day when suddenly i herd a loud plane above me and looked up. a few other people did too. it was very low. i remember thinking man, is that plane low. it may hit a building. it was crabbing this way, going to the right before it disappeared over the building line. now i know it was making a turn, american airlines flight 11 piloted by mohammed atta as he took a direct line of sight into the world trade center and hit the north tower. it is a morning which defiant anger all these years has in large way given to continued deep sorrow. a morning of tears and tribute during the ceremony as we listen to reading of the names. 2693 names in all of those who have perished. it will be a total of six moments of silence during this solemn and somber remembrance. [bells ringing] and for the first time during this ceremony public officials are not addressing the gathering. they are attending. some like former new york city mayor rudy giuliani though fear after 11 years he believes the concern and the impact of what happened here is disappearing. >> i'm worried that too many americans may be forgetting and we can't forget. this is not over. it is not like pearl harbor. this is it still an ongoing war against us by islamist extremist terrorist who is have been planning for years to kill us. over 40 attacks have been foiled the last year alone. that gives you a sense this is an ongoing effort. we can't forget yet if some people want to. >> reporter: he lost many friends, the husband of his long-time personal assistant. her husband was fire captain terry hatten. people are gathered here. tourists, new yorkers. some with flags. some with signs a moment of quiet reflection on this very important day. martha, bill, back to you. martha: eric, thank you very much. as eric points out there are so many searing images burned into our minds and hearts from that day. who can forget the scene that then white house chief of staff andy card walked into a classroom at emma booker elementary school in sarasota, florida, leaning over, leaning down, whispering to the president that america was under attack. >> page 153. martha: who can forget that reaction on president bush's face. clearly the news was sinking in for him. he stayed calm for the children who were in front of him on the floor reading a book, but years later, even the children say they sensed of course that something was terribly wrong. andy card, former chief of staff for president george w. bush joins us now. andy, welcome. thank you for being with us today. >> thank you, thank you for the remembrances that you're generating. martha: you know i heard you many times recount what that moment was like, but today, you know, as we look back, tell us again, you know, when it sunk into you, when you relayed the message to the president, what was it like? >> standing at the door to the classroom the president did know a plane hit one of the toyers at the world trade center. he thought it was a small twin-engine prop mean. when i was told it was not a small twin-engine prop lean but a commercial airliner i knew the second plane hit i knew the president had to know about it. i passed fact, and one editorial comment and drew nothing to invite a question. i opened the door to the classroom. when it was appropriate i walked over to the president and leaned over into his right ear, a second plane hit a second tower, america is under attack. i stood back from him so they didn't ask me a question. i pleased how he responded. he did nothing to introduce fear to the very young students. i went back to the door. when he did not get up which i thought was appropriate i left the classroom and i thought that he was contemplating his responsibilities as commander-in-chief. awesome responsibilities where he took the oath to preserve and protect and defend. there is no conditional clause to that oath. president has to do it. and owe can't do it without a lot of help. today is a day for us to remember the victims, to remember the heroes and to thank those who are the shield and sword of america. because they're the ones that are protecting us today. martha: yeah. you know i was struck, andy, just a couple weeks ago before the conventions i watched the tape of president bush at his own convention, talking about how we were in prosperous times, how things were good. you know, that countries are challenged even in the best of times. it was such a different moment as he came into the presidency. no president can ever anticipate what he will be tested with, what he will be faced with. what was your impression of him as you watched him on that facing something that he never imagined would come his way and our country's way? >> i actually believed that day, even though he had taken the oath to be president of the united states, january 20th, 2001, i think it was september 11th, 2001, with the real responsibility of president, being president was received by the president of the united states. he had to be commander-in-chief. he had to be the comforter in chief. he had to be the rallier in chief. he had to be leader not only for america but of the world. he lived up to all of those responsibilities. i thought he did an awesome job being a truly great leader for our country during the most unimaginable challenge in the history of our country where we were attacked on our own soil. thousands of innocent people died. thousands of people who took an oath to answer a call to duty died and others had to take the call to duty to get into action to protect us and keep us safe and thankfully, president obama recognizes the responsibilities of that oath as well and he has done a lot to protect us. bill: andy, for the families here, they approach this day every year with a sense of dread and for good reason. even if people who live in new york city and in washington, who are not directly impacted by the events 11 years ago, they too have a sense of dread when the day always approaches but it seems a little bit of that has chipped off every year as we move further and further away. even if you look at some of the video that was filed that day, it is starting to take on age when you see the taxis, the police cars, the firefighter uniforms and, as we move further away from that moment, i guess we'll digest it in our own personal way as we always do and i was just curious about you, how do you approach this day? >> well, you know i was there when the president was asked by arlen howard, this was on friday, september 14th, 2001, when the president visited the world trade center aftermath and met with the families of the policemen and firemen that were missing and arlene howard handed the president a badge and looked him right in the eyes, i want you to have this. this is my son's badge. his name is george howard. don't ever forget him. president bush with tears in his eyes looked into mrs. howard's eyes and said, america will start to forget. they will move on, but don't worry about me, i will never forget. i feel that same obligation. i promised never to foreget. i don't look forward to this day but i do remember on this day and i think it's important all of us to do that. there are so many heroes and so many innocent victims and that day did c change america. it changed us and changed the nature of the world. it put the world on notice. president bush was a strong leader when he said you're either with us or you're against us. when he said we would do everything we could to prevent the next attack, not just respond to the next attack. those were dramatic changes for our country and i was proud of his leadership. bill: will you communicate with him today in any sense? >> he and i exchanged an e-mail very, very early this morning. so, this is a day of remembrance for him and, and, yes, they was a day that changed president bush and all of those who worked with him. bill: do you care to share with us and our audience that transaction from earlier today by way of e-mail? >> i just, i thanked him for his leadership and called attention to the remembrance that we promised we would have, the victims and the heroes and those that helped to protect us and courage and compassion of a great american people. he had the same views. it was simple exchange. president bush is very efficient with his zeroes and ones as he texted but he's a very compassionate man who cares deeply about our country and all of the people in it. martha: andy, what do you remember about the moments, we talked about you relaying the message to him. but i remember you also talking about what happened once he came into the room, the questions he began to ask and the way his leadership kind of kicked in in those moments when he realized what was going on? >> he was very deliberate. he was all action. i remember the first thing he said when he walked into the holding room which was just off of that classroom where i had told him about the attack. he said, get the fbi director on the phone. fortunately the instructions had been given to get the fbi director on the phone before he walked in, so we could say, he is right here, mr. president. he then talked to the vice president and talked to governor pataki and other leaders. he worked on remarks for the american people that he delivered before an audience of 600 people. he thought he was there talking about leaving no child left behind and education and said he was going back to washington, d.c. i knew he wasn't going back to washington ton d.c. he and i had quite an argument because he wanted to go back toe washington. see set service and pilot of the air force one didn't want to go back until we knew what happened. we went to louisiana. landed there. took some people off air force one. we flew to omaha, nebraska, strategic air command center and went down into a deep bunker. the whole time the president was deliberate, decisive, strong leader. he did not want to be disruptive to the responsibilities that were being met by the people getting planes safely on the ground and, coming to better understand the nature of the attacks so we commit gait any challenges. martha: just want to mention on the other side of the screen we've been watching as governor cuomo entered there today. governor christie from new jersey also is there for this ceremony. but nobody is making speeches. the political speeches is something part of the past in terms of the recognition on this day. really so much focus is on the families and we're watching them as they continue to name the victims and their family members that they are remembering on this day. it is, you know, you look at the, just andy and bill, you look as you drive around new york city i'm often struck by the bumper stickers and the decals on people's cars that say, never forget, that are still there. i every time i them i have to say it does remind we should never ever forget what happened and dedication of the courage and people on the scene that day. very, very important, i believe, that children understand what happened that day and that, you know, you look back over people's lives over generation, pearl harbor and those kind of moments in history, this was that moment in this country, in our history that truly changed us. so much sacrifice and so much courage. bill: screen left is new york city. it always goes first on this day, followed by washington, d.c., across the potomac and pentagon and we get to shanksville, pennsylvania, toward the end of this hour of our coverage. we expect to see the president and first lady at the pentagon in a matter of moments. there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at 9:37 a.m. to the minute when the plane hit the pentagon. you have mentioned the note about politics today. the negative advertising on behalf of the president, mitt romney have been taken off the air for today, especially in those battleground states that are so heavily fought now. and to that extent politics has been set aside for about 24 hours. but we will quickly move back to that for tomorrow once this day is over. andy card, thank you for your time. >> thank you. bill: wonderful to get your thoughts and reflections and hear you talk and speak to our viewers as no one else can. thank you, sir. martha: thanks to andy card for the role that he played on that day, andy, thank you very much. so now, to our national security correspondent jennifer griffin who is live at the pentagon with an update on what we are seeing happening there this morning. good morning, jennifer. >> reporter: good morning, martha. we're standing here waiting for the president. his motorcade is supposed to leave the white house any minute. he is supposed to be here in time for the moment of silence which will take place at 9:37 exactly. that is exactly when american airlines flight 77 slammed into the outer ring of the pentagon, slicing through three rings of the pentagon, killing 184 people including 59 people who were onboard the plane that day. what is really beautiful behind me if you have a chance and you're in washington and you can stop by the pentagon memorial, it was completed four years ago and it has benches for each of the 184 people that were killed. it is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. it literally looks like these benches are floating at night. each one has a name of one of the victims on board. what also strikes me, martha, as we wait here, over to my right is arlington national cemetery. for the pentagon and everyone who works in the pentagon, everyone in the military, every day for the last 11 years has been a repeat of 9/11. everyone fighting in afghanistan remembers 9/11 each day. more than 68,000 troops over there fighting. they had a ceremony at camp leatherneck where the marines are in southern afghanistan today. interesting to point out that some of the youngest marines and soldiers who are over there, the 18-year olds were just seven years old when 9/11 happened 11 years ago. martha? martha: jennifer, thank you. that is such an important point to make t changed the lives and paths of so many careers of people who decided they wanted to defend their country. bill: so true. martha: leave what they were doing and fight on battlefields in afghanistan and iraq. as jennifer points out, some of them doing are seven, eight years old at the time this happened. for them those pictures look like a movie from another time but something they live with and for in many ways every single day. our thanks to jennifer griffin at the pentagon. bill: before we came on the air you heard some of the families down there at ground zero talk about how some of kids are in college and set to graduate from high school. what a path they have taken. joining me now, retired four-star general jack keane, former vice chief of staff for the army and also a fox news military analyst and good morning, to you, sir. >> good morning, bill. bill: when you analyze the war on terror 11 years down the road now it is stunning how unrecognizeable al qaeda is today. yes they want to do harm but 11 years later, this group, the fight was truly taken to them, and now you wonder, the future for this organization, how capable or incapable they might be, how do you reflect on that today, general? >> well, first of all i was in the pentagon that day and i lost 85 of my teammates and attended over 40 something funerals. this thing has been personal for a long time for me and like all americans, i mean i think the al qaeda, you know, really struck at the soul of america. it wasn't a military on military attack. it was an attack on the wonderful people of america. and i think while al qaeda had a tactical success that day, and you have to give them that in the cold, hard analysis, i believe it has, from the very outset it would lead to their strategic defeat because, they were attacking the people of america because they fundamentally believed that we were morally weak and they could break us. they knew