9/11 (2002) - full transcript

CBS is proud to bring you
this special presentation.

9/11. It is an historic eyewitness
account from inside ground zero.

This intimate portrayal of a life-and-death
struggle for survival contains some,

strong language. 9/11 is presented by
Nextel and will have limited interruptions.

Good evening I'm Tim Donahue president
and CEO of Nextel communications.

Welcome to this special
presentation of 9/11.

Tonight we'll see a remarkable film that
captures the extraordinary bravery of,

the firefighters that fought desperately
to save lives at the World Trade Center.

At nextel we've had the privilege of
working with police, firefighters and,

other rescue workers at
Ground Zero and the Pentagon.

We've witnessed firsthand
their courage and conviction.



It is our hope that sharing this presentation
with the rest of America will honor,

these heroes as we remember the
many victims of this tragedy.

And so we present the next two hours
commercial-free with only three short breaks,

that will allow all of us to reflect on
the contributions of the millions of,

public safety professionals
across America,

who dedicate their
lives to our safety.

On behalf of Nextel Communications CBS and
the Uniformed Firefighters Association,

scholarship fund we invite you to remember
their courage their bravery and their heroism.

Tonight a new chapter within the
most important story of our time.

One firehouse.

Get everybody out, let's go!

Three filmmakers.

I saw the second one
hit the other Tower.

In a place you can never see.



On a day you'll never forget.

...Tower 1, evacuate de building.

9 / 11.

Six months ago, tomorrow, these
streets of New York changed forever.

We all remember where we
were that September morning.

We remember how we heard the
news, what we felt, what we saw.

Tonight you're gonna meet
three young filmmakers,

who also witnessed what
happened that awful day.

Only they saw it from
the inside and it's a,

view the rest of us
haven't seen until now.

I'm Robert DeNiro. Last year two french
brothers Jules and Gideon Naudet set out,

to make a film about a
rookie New York fireman.

They had no idea
they would become,

eyewitnesses to the
defining event of our time,

but that they would capture the
courage of those who faced hell on earth.

And the miracle of
a lucky few who survived.

A story begins last summer,

with the help of a friend and
firefighter James Hanlon, the Naudet,

brothers were allowed to follow the
men of Engine Seven, Ladder One.

It's one of the oldest fire houses in
New York just a few blocks from here.

For months the material
they shot was routine, uneventful.

September
11th was no different.

Until 8:46
that morning.

Engine Seven Ladder One was one of the
first to arrive at the World Trade Center.

Jules Naudet was with them and
his camera never stopped rolling.

It's the only footage
from inside Tower One.

What you're going to see has
been edited with great care,

still some of the languages are
rough, after all,

these men have never been
tested like this before.

This is the story of
how the city's bravest,

rose to the greatest
challenge on September 11.

When you work in a
firehouse seven blocks from,

the two tallest
buildings in New York,

you get to know every step
every staircase every story.

I'm James Hamlin. I've been a New
York City firefighter for nine years.

At Ladder One downtown.

Last summer the
summer before 9/11,

there were days we'd go to the Trade
Center five times in a single shift.

My point is: we knew those
towers as well as anybody.

But nobody, nobody,

expected September 11th.

Going to Trade Center.

On that day guys from my firehouse
my best friends was some,

of the first firefighters in the
tower one after the plane hit.

What they did that day, what
everyone there did, was remarkable.

And almost as remarkable it was
captured on videotape, inside the tower.

Beginning to end.

And tonight you'll see all of it.

The tape was shot by two brother.

Jules and Gideon Naudet.

There're documentary filmmakers
and old friends of mine.

I don't know. They always say there is
always a witness for history I guess.

Or that they were chosen
to be the witness.

The strange thing is the
tape the whole story,

it kind of happened
by accident.

I mean,
Jules and Gideon didn't mean,

to make a documentary
about 9/11.

We wanted to make a documentary
about a firefighter.

That's how the whole
thing got started.

JUNE 9

More to the point, the plan
was to follow a Rookie.

On the job we call them 'probies'.

The idea for us is to
show our kid almost,

Becoming man in nine months.

Which is their probationary period
where they have to prove themselves.

We teamed up and by
last June the three,

of us were out at the Fire
Academy shooting the training.

And trying to decide which
one of the 99 new probies,

will be the
perfect Probie.

-My name is Paul Denver.
-John Cara.

Antonio Benetatos,
Tony for sure.

-I was a police officer. -For a while I was a
pizza man actually. Manesh pizza man.

This is my first job sounds kind of
cheesy but I always kind of wanted,

to be a hero and this is really
the only thing you could do that.

Immediately, quicked, we said this is
the kid, this is the kid, let's go.

We got Tony assigned to my firehouse
one of the biggest in the city.

It's Ladder One,

part the whole other
company, Engine Seven.

So glad I took this job.

Can't be.

Are the greatest. Incredible guys.

They're guys who fought some of
the worst fires you can imagine.

They'd face the unthinkable.

Question one was:
would Tony be ready?

JULY 2

I'm terrified. This
is what I want to do.

But it's it's scary.

I just hope I can I can do
everything that I'm supposed to do.

You know I'm still worried
about how I'm gonna,

actually react when there's
fire flying over my head.

Here goes.

-What's your first name?
-Tony.

-You come in on Thursday, right?
-There's that.

-I wasn't sure of that.
-Thursday night.

-I am not saying...
-You need to sit down?

-I'm a little bit nervous.
-All right.

I just I want to make everything,
I'm supposed to do.

Thing is, when you're a Probie
what you're supposed to do.

We got do the sheets, we change
the sheets in the morning.

It's pretty
much everything.

More news and traffic
coming up. Its 6:22.

...we start at the top and
we wash the break down.

-I assure you I do not well be in...
-A lot of trouble?

I think I'm doing decently.

You know, I'm still waiting
for a fire that's all.

Ready for a fire. And I think, that'll,
you know, make a pretty big difference.

JULY 10

Engine...fire.

Thing is, guys say there's
two kinds of Probies.

Black clouds, white clouds.

When a black cloud comes to
the firehouse, that Probie,

he brings all the fires
in the city with him.

White cloud just the opposite.

No fires.

Don't get me wrong
there were fires.

Jyst not when Tony was on duty.

The kid was one very white cloud.

Tony was nervous, of
course. Very nervous.

And as the days would pass Tony
waiting for his first fire.

Wanted to prove to the other
guys and even more to himself,

that he was going to be
a real great fireman.

Tony...

So guys were not going
to make it easy on it.

What we set with Tony up,
we do it to every probie.

But before you can love it,
you've got to learn it.

Now say you got up there,
now got your helmet,

your bunker gear you got to get your mask
on, how you gonna do that without let go?

Don't look bad.

Okay thank you.

For two weeks I got 672
dollars and 25 cents.

It's starting pay you know, iIf I want
to get rich I would have become a lawyer.

But,

I wanted something that I'd be able
to live with for the rest of my life.

This I can live with.

-A lot of the guys feel that way.
-You need to get up in the,

morning and look yourself in the mirror and
say you're doing something with your life.

You do your job you risk
your life to help people .

And to be part of a
family at the firehouse.

Just making some
onions and mushrooms.

For stakes.

Tell me one other job where everyone
sits down to dinner together.

Every night.

Now Steve you thought
you got to be tired now?

It's been four weeks I think
five weeks, something like that.

And I'm still still no fire.

But it'll come. Probably when I'm asleep and
not ready for it, that's when it'll come.

-...to tell you in the morning Bro,
you can't sleep? -Yeah.

-Trust me when the alarm goes off they'll
come and get you. -Ok.

There you have Antonio,
your first fire.

It's was a car fire, at least.

That all right. My first
fire was in a garbage can.

Listen Tony was getting closer,

but for the record that was a
'flame'.

It wasn't in a real fire.

Go like that, it's
gonna be fun 20 years.

It's a fire over here.
It's a fire. You see?

Start your line
put out the stakes.

By the end of August we knew that
we had the great cooking show.

And there were no fires.

Waiting for a job that was a very big
concern but every time we would talk with,

some of the senior
guys they always told,

us well be careful
what you wish for.

Yesterday 27 year-old
firefighter Staten Island station,

went to a
job and he passed away.

Well we'll go to the
funeral on Saturday,

and what can you say?

I look back to last summer and doesn't
just seem like a different time.

Seems like a different world.

At the time we didn't
think there could be,

anything worse than losing
a single firefighter,

and looking back we were
all just kind of innocent,

especially Tony.

A bunch of the guys were talking
about what different parts usually,

get them at the funeral when the
coffin went past, that was at least,

was a little, uh,

you know, I don't like...

I hope it's my last one.

It's a lot of thing going on all time,
you konw.

...you got to get off.
You know you got a really improvise.

-Right.
-You know I mean? -Right.

Basically you have to be
on the top of your game.

-It's no a joke to
show -All right.

There is a lot of
things to think about.

...beacause that gonna
keep you alive, and that,

-gonna give you the opportunity to save
anybody else. -Right.

Ready for that?

Fire or no fire, Tony had
learned a lot that summer.

Sure he had a ways to go.

But we'd teach him.

Far as we know,

there was plenty of time.

A few days later Jules cooked
a French dinner for the guys.

At least he tried to.

Decided to cook leg
of lamb which I told,

him for a long time
one of my specialties.

-I think I cooked one and we really
needed at least five. -Miss Frenchy.

One more meals like this and
we're gonna be able to share...

Alright, alright,
get smokey, so what?

We stayed up late just telling
jokes and busting chops.

-Is the best part to me.
-Even though the guys,

were making fun of us, because we didn't
cook enough, we're all having a great time.

We're getting accepted.

World joke all night long. Was really
a great night. Little did we know.

It was the night of September 10th.

9/11, presented by Nexttel.

Good evening I'm Tom Ridge. You're about
to witness a remarkable display of courage,

faced with the worst. The firefighters of
Engine Seven Ladder One gave us their best.

But the heroism shown on
9/11 happens everyday,

and in every
corner of America.

Our firefighters, law enforcement
officers and EMTs are doing,

their duty to secure our homeland.
It is our duty to support them.

President Bush working
with Congress is moving,

forward on a national
homeland security strategy,

to give first responders
like these firefighters,

the equipment training and
communications they need.

We will build up our public
health system to combat bioterror,

use technology to help secure
our airports and borders,

and work to get law
enforcement the information,

it needs to stop a terrorist
attack before it happens.

The best way to honor the victims of
9/11 is for all of us to show our best.

Contact USA Freedom Corps to
find out ways to serve, thank you.

Every day, thousends of
public safety professionals

dedicate their lives
to preotecting us.

Nextel is honored to
bring you a few of them.

Fireman live to help others
live it's that simple.

Everyday they wait for
the call, every day that,

passes without that
alarm is a blessing and a burden,

they know it's only a matter of time, until
they'll have to put their lives on the line.

So they wait
and they wonder.

For the men of Engine Seven
Ladder One the waiting,

and the wondering had
lasted all summer.

By early September the
filmmakers had captured so much,

about life around the
firehouse except for one thing:

a big fire.
There's a superstition among firemen.

When you go too long without any fire, be
prepared. Something big is coming.

What you're about to
see is how brave men,

work under stress
surrounded by chaos.

They trained all their lives
for this moment but nothing,

could have prepared them for
what was about to happen.

To be a beautiful day
today, sunshine throughout,

low humidity really a
splendid September day,

the afternoon temperature
of 80 degrees great weather,

for the primary election
tonight clearing clouds...

Begun to sound like
some sort of a cliche.

But really September 11th
started out like every other day.

Eight o'clock
in the morning.

The day guys were just coming in.

I was off that day.

Thirteen guys from
my firehouse were on.

Around 8:30...

Engine, fire.

One alarm came.

In the run for, the gas leak or an
odor of gas in the street actually.

...in the church odor of gas.

Yeah, I don't think anything of it, you just
hear on yhe radio, it's an odor of gas.

Jules was riding with the battalion
chief joseph Pfeifer, videotaping.

Is just another call.

Running with the battalion chief.

It was basically camera
practice. See, Jules had only,

been shooting for a few weeks.

Before that Gideon was
the main camera man.

Every time the
battalion goes, I go.

Youn konw, just
practice. Why shouldn't?

We checked the area with meters,

and it was kind of routine.

It was 846 in the morning.

That's when this stopped
even resembling a normal day.

Right then and there, I
knew, that this was gonna,

be the worst day of my
life as a firefighter.

Immediately I knew this
wasn't an accident.

Chief Pfeifer made the
first official report.

We have the repor of fire. It looked like
the plane was aiming towards the building.

Transmit a third along,
we'll have the staging area.

Was probably a two
minute ride but it,

seemed like it was forever because there
was a lot of things going through your head.

People was passed
and just looking up.

It's like the world just stopped.

We are just currently getting a
look at the World Trade Center.

We have something that has
happened here, flames and an awful,

lot of smoke from one of the towers
whatever has occurred has just occurred.

Within within minutes and we are
trying to determine exactly...

Go, go.

As we scroll around in front of World Trade
my mind tells me: wow, this is this is bad.

What do we do? what
do we do for this?

We park right under the awning
of One World Trade Center.

Chief Pfeifer on
putting his pants on it.

Remember asking him: chief,
can I come in with you?

I want to come in with you. He say yes.
-Stay with me.

I go.

And I hear screams
and right to my right.

There is two people
on fire burning.

But I just didn't
want to film it.

That it was like, no one,
no one should see this.

Pfeifer was the first
chief into the building.

Right away a guy from
the Port Authority,

told him the damage is
somewhere above the 78th floor.

But all you had to
do was look around.

It was obvious something had
happened right there in the lobby.

You just you just saw that
all the windows in blow out.

The lobby looked like
the plane hit the lobby.

Then they figure out
the flaming jet fuel,

had shot straight down
the elevator shaft.

All of this damage was done already
people was all over the place.

So you konw it's
going to be of worse.

When we got upstairs...

My main concern was we had
20 floors people above.

And we had to figure out
a way to get them out.

As it turned out we had
no usable elevators.

But with the elevators out, there was
only one way to get up there.

Walk.

Companies come in.

You see them with a
concerned look on their face.

And they send them.

COMMAND POST

A firefighter in full gear carrying sixty
something pounds of poles and equipment.

Takes about a minute to
climb one flight of stairs.

These guys were
looking at 80 stories,

just to get there.

Then they'd start working.

I felt the mood that we
were gonna put the fire out.

Everyone seemed to be
confident, I know I was.

You basically looked at it and said
okay we got 1020 stories of fire.

You know, we'll deal with it,
we'll get up there.

You know we'll get to it.

There are fire crews just screaming into
this area from every conceivable direction.

By this time some of
the top Chiefs in,

the department had
joined chief Pfeifer.

Running the command post.

Sending guys upstairs.

Every time I looked
around to, new faces

Something that
I recognize,

is chief grunting, great
guy. The perfect grandfather.

Remember seeing lieutenant Fogui
who was there working with 9th.

And then started
going up.

Another of the men who went up
was lieutenant Kevin Pfeifer.

He was in charge of Engine 33,
and he was the Chiefs brother.

I just remember who we both looked at
each other said a few words and,

but it was more the look
with it. A real concern,

and this was a gonna
be something tough.

That's going to be a tough job
it's going to be a long job.

They'll put it out.
That's what they do.

The last time Jules
had seen his brother,

was an hour ago,
at the firehouse.

Far as Jules knew, Gideon had followed
Tony, the probie, into the tower.

When we had left for the
odor of gas in teh street,

he was with me, then.

And the we arrived
to the Trade Center.

It went up immediately
with the guys.

So for me my brother
is going up the stairs.

It turns out Gideon
was with Tony.

Engine Seven, Ladder One. This
is firefighter Benetatos.

-But Tony was still at the firehouse.
-No, I was out of duty.

-And now he'd been ordered to stay there.
-Everybody's been recalled.

All available units must
come back to the firehouse.

Antonio tried to keep
up with the phone.

This fireman Benetatos.

Gideon took his camera and started
walking down towards the Trade Center.

He was sure his brother was inside.

And he wanted to get to him.

Remember slowly walking down
to the World Trade Center.

What's really sticking in
my mind is passing byes people in,

filming them
and feelings astonish.

Eyes saying this's not happening.

Remember tilting the camera back and forth
between the people in the tower affordable.

Both towers in the World Trade Center have
been hit by aircraft both are in flames.

Black smoke coming from both of the
towers it's a horrific scene here.

There's some debris
flying through the air.

There were two planes
I saw the second one hit.

They hit
the other Tower.

Well we knew that there was
a second plane hit,

and we had a lot of people trapped.

Now the Chiefs would
have to set up a,

whole other operation
over in tower 2.

But when the second plane hit,

that's when you feel fear.

You could see everybody's eye.

There were people from all
over the world in the streets.

Different colors,
different language.

A few blocks between the firehouse
and WTC the entire world was there.

Two aircraft, the first one
on one...The second one...

And they were all looking
at the same thing and,

talking about the same thing
and reacting the same way.

All the other elevators
have blocked out.

This a catastrophy, right?

Says, were crowded.

People were coming down burned.

Upstairs in tower
one the guys from my firehouse,

are're now 10
floors up and climbing.

If we did talkm there was
to the people coming down.

Trying to comfort them, tell them
this all right get out stay calm.

I run to find in a woman in the sea
staircase. Her arms were all burned.

She was just sitting there basically in
shock so I picked off on the arm and,

I put her in with a group of guys and
I said: guys you know, take it down.

I knew we had to get off to help
people, they had to get up there.

People pretty much said: why
are you going up there? Get out.

Their concern was to get
everybody out. That was the key.

As much people out as possible.

Most of the people in Tower one came
out on the mezzanine above the lobby.

Then they'd get out
through another building.

The Chiefs didn't want anyone
going through the lobby door.

First it was because
debris was falling outside.

Then,

it was people falling.

You don't see it but you know where
it is and you know that every time,

you hear that crashing sound it's
it's a life which is it to extinguish.

It's not something
you could get used to.

And the sound was so loud.

Just remember looking
up thinking how bad is it up there,

that the
better option is to jump.

The FBI is now investigating before
plane hijacking before these crashes,

were telling you about at the World
Trade Center towers this morning.

Pieces of the building and the
planes actually landed blocks away.

Gideon was walking with his
camera when he found a chunk of,

the plane engine that had crashed
completely through tower 2.

Just get out of here. Just go.

It's evidence. You can't
kicking this stuff.

That was as close as Gideon
would get to the trade center,

without a firefighter anyway.

So I decided that the
smartest thing to do,

was to slowly walk
back to the firehouse.

And find a way to go to Jules.

Just getting word now one of the two
planes was hijacked after takeoff,

-from Boston. -This is... Two airplanes
have crashed into the World Trade Center,

in an apparent terrorist attack.

We have reports of a
fire at the Pentagon,

fire at the Pentagon being
reported this morning.

I was just saying that the
officials are calling this an,

act of terrorism and saying that clearly
what it is clearly not an accident.

Arriving back at the firehouse
and Tony still alone.

And he has no clue of what to do.

Pentangon was set on fire.

War, this is war.

And just by listening to him,
freaking out and swearing,

and behaving like I've
never seen, behaving.

Tony was expressing
what we all felt.

At that point I saw the
fireman in him taking over.

Somebody has balls.

A few times is just putting is gear
and back rush to the door.

Realizing that he is the only
one in charge of this empty firehouse.

And going back to the house
watch and looking again and,

there's this picture on TV, to
just to make sure that it was real.

Tony just wanted
to go there.

In the lobby the Chiefs
were trying to run the,

largest rescue operation
any of them had ever seen.

Next to no information
coming in from outside.

I've seen the entire world
knew more than we did.

Everybody had seen the attacks.
Wverybody had seen the tower burning.

Had seen the Pentagon.

For us, we didn't have a clue
wat was going outside our lobby.

It's like a beehive that place.

Everybody's working on the phone,
everybody's working on the radio.

Everybody's getting information,
sending guys up, getting reports.

And just trying to get
this thing under control.

At one point there was even a
rumor a third plane was heading in.

You got to remember: at that
moment anything seemed possible.

On top of everything, else just talking
to the guys in the stairwell was tough.

The towers internal communications
setup had been knocked out by the crash.

That left fire department radio.

Suddenly you have hundreds and
hundreds of firefighters in that radio.

Seems to become more
and more difficult.

One guy in the WTC who was trying
frantically to reach anyone on the elevator.

And going through the rest.

There's about 98
innovators in the WTC.

On the middle of all this,
suddenly, an elevator opens up.

And you see people not having
a clue of what's going on.

They've been stuck in there
since the first plane hit.

I was seeing the look
on the firefighters.

It was not fear it
was, what's going on?

This belive,

that made me panic over.

Maybe panic.

The first time I had seen father Judge
the chaplain, this is called.

He was in the lobby with us, and
I could tell that he was praying.

You know, father Judge would
at least make eye contact,

with you and kind of give
you a reassuring look.

That wasn't occurring almost like
he knew that this was not good.

Back at the firehouse,

off-duty guys were
starting to show up.

- We're just waiting right now.
-What you said? - We're just waiting right now.

Tony was...just had
one thing in his mind.

This is bad to go there
and they couldn't.

And that's when
chief Burns arrived.

Larry Burns join the
fire department in 1957,

retired as a battalion
chief three years ago.

I couldn't wait I'd had to get
down there because, you know what?

they're my firefighters it's
my building, it's my city.

-...let's move together, get a flashlight.
-Okay.

Total probie, get your
gear, let's go.

Remember to me asking me to bring
him some gloves, medical gloves.

Go grab a box
of gloves.

By the time I found them and
rush back they were gone.

The Probie and the retired
chief were lost in the crowd.

Headed down to the Trade Center.

I think at that point the
lobby was pretty empty.

There were just a few of us in the
lobby and we were discussing tactics.

Some of the outlying companies didn't
know what Tower One was or Tower Two.

So we're just trying to help them out by
writing it on the destiny could obvious.

Just before ten o'clock a little over
an hour since the first plane hit,

firefighters from all over the city were
inside those towers. Hundred of them.

I remember I'm
filming chief Pfeifer,

and he's on the radio.

A situation that started bad just
gets worse and worse and worse.

The World Trade Center South Tower which was
hit by a plane and racked by an explosion,

approximately an hour
totally collapse.

If you're just joining us this
morning of horrific surprise.

...right with people walking around,
with sounds of tears holding their heads,

looking up at what's left
of the World Trade Center ,

just shaking their
heads and disbelief.

Out on the street,

everyone knew what
just happened.

The South Tower was gone.

The sword collapse and bran.

-Everybody all right?
-Yeah I'm okay.

How's the way out of here?

And then realize
okay I'm not dead.

Yeah right here.

So let's turn on my floodlight
on top of my camera.

All right come on down this way.

Inside the Trade Center all,
Jules and chief Pfeifer knew.

All anyone.

That something had
gone terribly wrong.

They asked me: you with
the light, help us out.

We got to everebody out.
Let's go.

Pointing my light
wherever they needed.

Remember seeing chief Pfeifer.

Evacuate the building.

...call all units.

He gave it right away very calm. Dean
White an interest for him it was a precocious,

it's okay something wrong
is happening let's get everybody out.

From the tone of his voice I knew that there was
no normal thing, I knew it, was time to leave.

I remember saying to the guys well
it's we're on our own now and,

for the first time I looked in
someone else's eyes and so fear.

-Whoof...
-Which you don't see with fire.

Totally evacuated, was such a long walk.
It was: 17, 16, 15, 14, 13...

I was going down the stairs I can remember
firemen resting on the landing and,

telling them, you lknow, before the May,
get out of the building.

I don't think they... a lot of...I know
for a fact that not taking serious.

Light...?

I was not even consciously filming oh
it's just had my camera by my side,

and pointing to the
light for everything.

I like to, to to actually help someone
and then I realized it was father Judge.

We saw him lying at the base
of the escalator where we were.

And I removed his white collar
and I opened up his shirt,

and I remember
checking for his pulse.

I realize in that time,

he was gone.

After that we had to figure
out how to get out, oh boy we were.

We go out
this way.

Right where we are now.

People are still jumping.

Debris is still falling that it's too
dangerous you cannot go out this way.

Chief Pfeifer tells the people
carrying father Judge. "Okay stay here".

I told him that I'll be back and wait here
and I'll see if the bridges is still here.

Chief Pfeifer want to check
one of the foot bridges.

Leading out of
the Trade Center.

If it was still standing, it
would be their best way out.

Did you hear what
happened to North tower?

South tower collapse.

Now I wonder for the first
time if if Jules is still alive.

I realized that Jules could
be dead, that very moment.

And I was feeling,

so responsible. I was the one
who put it in this situation.

Had to find Jules.

Gideon hitched a ride with three
off-duty fireman,

determined to get to the Trade Center
the only way they could.

In a pickup truck.

Battalion wants Division One.

There were may days, being given
and we start to figure out okay.

It's the worse thing because you cannot have
that name it with all that dust and that noise.

May day, may day, may day.

That's when I feel danger.

For the first time.

Was all around you, I mean,

every single cell of
your body is telling you,

shouldn't be here.

The air was radically different I mean
it was this white powder everywhere.

Take this mask. Get masked, we're
gonna extras all that, and we going in.

Just a few people here and there.

And it's kind of silence.

-The ambulance are straight down.
-Of course so there's no word on casualties...

The ambulances are straight down.

...but it's suffice to say
the loss of life presumably...

Amulances straight down.

I was around at that point everyone's
concern is just getting north,

getting away from the World Trade Center as
well as finding out where their families are.

The South Tower of the World Trade Center
just minutes ago collapsed to the ground.

Only one tower is
standing at this point.

And the direct line of sight
to what is left of the World,

Trade Center the fire continues
to burn, I can see the flames...

By this time she Pfeifer
had found a safe exit.

And tried a radio the men
in the lobby. No answer.

We walk to bridge back
towards the Trade Center.

Still trying to call on the radio.

Nothing it's good.

The guys have been left
there, they're not there.

They had already
gone out another way.

Carrying the body of father Michael Judge
down the street to st. Peter's Church.

They laid his
body on the altar.

Father Judge's death
certificate is number 00001.

The first official
casualty of the attacks.

The chief, and Jules
walked outside,

underneath the footbridge
they just crossed.

and into a scene that none of
them could even comprehend.

And there's a corridor there's
dust covering the entire place.

And we look and the tower is
here so it's okay, probably,

for something else the
towers are extending,

the other one we can't
see it but it's probably just,

you know, on the other
side and no one tells us.

We walk north, just
trying to figure out what,

to place here and then
try to gain some control.

It was it just a sense that
this wasn't good place to stay.

Chief Pfiffer priority
was to set up,

a new command post
and find his men.

Right now,

they were coming
down the stairs

Some point I started to run.

I don't know if I was touching
stairs on my way down.

When I got about to three or two is when
I started to think of my family, you know.

So I gotta get out of here.

When we reached the lobby,

I joked about it I said the
command post was abandoned.

The Board was set up and nobody was
there I said oh this is not a good sign.

I knew there was nothing I
could really do I mean, I was,

not a fireman I had absolutely
no medical expertise at all.

As just a civilian.

but as a cameraman,

yeah, I was
something useful.

And it was to document
what was happening.

So the cameraman
took over just him.

Gideon had made his way as
close to the tower as he could.

Strange enough, the
only thing I was...

my preoccupation was to
choose to clean my len.

Jules was with chief Pfeifer
who was plotting his next move.

The firefighters for my house had
reached the lobby and scatter.

...walk at
this point, we knew we,

were added a building,
felt we was safe.

Unfortunately there are people
jumping out of windows.

You can see them hitting the ground or
around you, debris hitting the ground.

Basically everybody was standing
right in the shadow of Tower one.

It was 10:28 in the morning.

And this huge roar.

And I don't even have time to think
at that point, I just I just run.

I feel someone jumping
on top of me and,

then the dust.

At that point I realized
that, well I was going to die.

And the only thing I could
think about was Jules.

And I remember telling myself
that if I would survive.

I mean I would be
a better brother.

Let's go before the car blow up.

And it's dead silence.

It's nothing, no radio
calls, no, no sound, nothing.

And I feel the person
was on top of me get up.

And I recognize
Chief Pfeifer voice.

And I just realized just, you know, it jumped
on top of me to protect me from all this.

He say: okay let's go now.

We get up, the dust
starts to clear because,

the wind was blowing in
the opposite direction.

After that was,

just trying to literally
walk around the block and,

recoup and walk back to the
scene, to see what we could do.

Jeff, some water.

In your mouth, open your mouth.

I had been in this street
three times in the last hour,

first time it was full of people.

The second time everybody
was running away from there.

At a third time,

getting out the last collapse,
there was just nobody.

And everything was white.

Everything was covered by the dust.

The most surreal scene I have ever
seen I cannot describe what took place.

It is a scene just not to be believed the
smoke still billowing what we do have,

is a lockdown you can't get in you can't
get out you can't go up you can't go down.

I see that I'm still in
the middle of the street,

and I see there is a little deli it
seems to be opened in the corner.

A lot of people injured.

Firefighters, a lot.

And then it hits me.

You know, where is my brother?

I start realizing I
probably lost my brother.

So I tried to go back to the World Trade
Center, I need to go find my brother.

And I'm in the middle of
the street walking and a,

cop approached me and says
you know, who are you with?

With the chief, Batallion One.

-Oh yeah? Battalion One?
-Have an ID?

...take your camera and get
out of here, all right? Go.

So I go back up, walk north not
really knowing where I'm going.

No. we're making a documentary
on the fire department.

Well this ain't fuckin
Disney Land, let's go.

And after a while I said you know
there's nothing I can do here,

I need to I need to go
back to the firehouse,

maybe they have some news and mayb,e maybe,
he's already back there but at that point I just,

I think is that.

And becomes, it becomes
too overwhelming.

Walking back to the firehouse.

And not trying to think
for one second about Jules.

That was too much.

They asked me what
happened? What happened?

I said: hell.

Hell is what happened.

It just came down and it
wasn't supposed to come down.

It's not easy being a survivor.

Little to little the guys
started to come back one by one.

I can't explain why I'm here and
there's so many dead, very emotional.

My guys are crying. So
many thoughts and emotions.

-They told us to get out.
-Too far I get.

We got to call our loved
ones. Tell them we were okay.

It was fucking sick.

Well we just got out, we just got out,
and we have up two blocks,

and I'm like
I'm still not far enough.

I just needs to be with...

with the guys, you know.

I was never so glad to
see firemen in my life.

It was it was it was a
great thing to to know that,

that people were surviving this.

I put you guys were death.

That was a scary thing I ever...

Oh my god am I glad to see you.

-We're the lucky ones. -I don't think
it's luck, it's a miracle that we're here.

Miracle,

isn't a word to hear
much from firefighters.

Especially not
on that day.

But what else could you call it one guy
after another was making it back, safe.

Oh my god.

I can't believe we all made it out, how
did we make it out of that building?

Thirty seconds,

a little two floors higher...

Again the cameraman just
filmed them coming back,

and asking them
they had seen Jules.

And nobody couldn't
answer this question.

It was extremely frustrating and annoying.
One guy from the firehouse came to me.

Then I asked him: you know, I've said, you
seen Jules? I mean, you lnow where he is?

And he look at me and he
said: yes, he's behind you.

And I turn over,

and Jules was there in the firehouse.
I didn't even seem coming in.

And make me tear
for the first time.

Are you feel all right?

He tells me yes.

Tells me that it was all
that time in the lobby.

And...I know now, it's like
to think you're going to die.

And then, and then I tell
him I got the first plane,

and I filmed and,
do you have enough tape?

-You feel ok?, you get close? -Yeah, under.
-Yeah okay, close.

And definitely was
miracle, you know?

-...to know what happened to you guys.
Everybody's okay? -Everybody right here.

Everybody come back one
by one to the firehouse,

except one.

Did you see Antonio
comes to the house?

He aware all accounted
for except for Tony.

Everybody was wandering about Tony.

9/11 presented
by Nextel.

Hi my name is Steve Buscemi. Before
becoming an actor i had the privilege of,

working alongside many
heroes when I was a,

New York City firefighter
for four years.

A scholarship fund has
been established for,

the families of New
York City firefighters.

Your gift can help shape the
future of children many of whom,

have suffered the tragic
loss of their fathers.

So please join me in making a contribution
to the firefighter scholarship fund.

The next time you see a
firefighter, police officer,

or EMT please thank them
for their service to us all.

There is not anything recognizable
of where were the Trade Center...

Oh that day, that day had
change everything.

Thanks God your fibers are here.

When I came back that day to the
firehouse one firefighter came to me,

and said you know yesterday he
had one brother today you have 15.

It's hard to even describe the
emotions in the firehouse that day.

From one hand you celebrate.

Somehow the guys from
our house, they got out.

We lost so much that in
that two-hour period.

We felt like we got the
hell kicked out of us.

I don't know what to do.

Go back down there or waht?

At the same time we knew
hundreds of firefighters,

thousands of people had to
have died in those towers.

And every hour that passed
we were more certain.

Tony Benetatos
was one of them.

Hey guys deputy chief Hill
called first division,

he doesn't want anybody
else down here right now.

Everybody was wondering
about Tony.

James just put his gear and went by
himself to look for Tony.

I come in from home,

and yeah we were all in
the stay at the firehouse.

but after six hours somebody
had to go and look for this kid.

It's gone man.

I got down there, just the seven
World Trade finally collapse.

No sign of Tony anywhere.

It had to be only six o'clock.

Nine hours after
everything started,

Tony Benetatos...

that Tony just walked in.

I walked in like your days, they were all
like: hey it's been a tireless, you all right?

-Throw your hand anything?
-No.

-You all right?
-Yes.

-You okay?
-Yeah, I'am all right.

I was in the building.

Is everyone from the house?

Everyone?

I just asked did
everyone get back,

and they were like yeah
that felt pretty good.

You motherfuckers man I was
so sure you all were death.

And dig into a new...fuck is he
chilling here even oranges?

The last one that went
out there came back.

And we're all okay.

I left here right after
the first collapse.

Turns out Tony had been with
Larry burns the whole time.

The Probie and the retired chief.

They were right there
when Tower one came down.

I checked all the rigs.
There were rigs crushed,

paramedic trucks covered with,

rubble flipped,

fires burning
everywhere, huge fires.

That whole day I just searched the rubble,
lifting things up, checking underneath.

-Just very harmful.
-It's only being a firefighter for.

You know a couple of months,
but he proved himself that day,

To all the guys, you know.

There was so much that
we didn't know about that first day,

who would
attacked us? How? Why?

All we knew is that nothing
would ever be the same.

And then of course
do you the images,

of the replay that never
stops of the planes hitting,

the towers coming down, and
it was like...okay enough TV.

Thankfully the power went out about
that time so I just who's a relief.

I got two more sets of lights coming.

It's the entire downtown
Manhattan loose power.

It was really this feeling that we're
going to be there for a long time.

Most of us stayed at the
firehouse that night.

Trying to take
it all in.

...on the roof of the... was parts all
over the fucking place.

...feet, was nasty.

You all right?
-Yeah, I'm all right.

One of the things that sticks with
me more than everything I saw,

as I sat down next to Ted,

you know is real bad.

He said: Tony man, it was...
it was raining bodies.

I just...the way he
said it man, it's just,

the man had been through hell.

Good evening, today
our fellow citizens,

our way of life, our very
freedom came under attack,

in a series of deliberate
and deadly terrorist acts,

It's a very depressed, like
this, more miserable...mood.

Hundreds even thousands
of civilians are gone.

As much as quickly you blow on
electric switch and gone.

That's it.

Gone.

It's hard to believe
they're not there.

They're not there.

-First reaction?
-They're gone.

-Is no more WTC?
-No.

It did happen, right?

It's not something that I'm
going to close my eyes and, and,

open them again and I'm going
to see the tower, alright?

It's not there.

You know and the only thing
you have really anyway really,

kept it all together with us, as a
group, as a body, as a firehouse.

Around midnight we sent Tony up
to lower the flag to half-mast,

again.

It's gonna be a lot of pain
to deal with in the future.

I have a pretty good friend.

Well it was in my academy
class in my squad.

It was among
the best sight.

A lot of guys we all
lost friends and family.

...to put that thing at half-mast
again for the rest of my career.

...call Ids it's
24 on 24 of 21-24.

We got word that we'd start
digging in the morning.

Some of the guys with
wives and kids went home.

Just for a few hours.

They knew it might be days before
they'd see their families again.

And the kids came out and
we just kind of all cried,

and one big
hug and,

it was a,

we just, we just cried.

Probably the best best entrance
I've ever made to a place.

And I got home about two o'clock in the
morning hop in the jacuzzi with my wife.

But that's another story.

A need more guys that I have, a couple...

Came back to the rirehouse next day I
couldn't wait to get back actually.

Because I want them to get down
and I figured well we're gonna,

have plenty of people to that
are gonna be trapped, for sure.

We're gonna get them out, you
will have to as you always do.

I don't know if anyone's really
pulledthemselves together.

Focus on what you're doing today.

I mean timing up in a couple of
weeks, really taking what happens a lot,

well guys but today you
must focus on what you're doing.

Calling teams in two.

One guys called to go home, and
probably you want to go home...

We're all alive that's that's more
than we could have possibly hoped for.

So our job now is to go and
do whatever needs to be done.

And do it as much and as hard as we
can for as long as they'll let us.

Some of the guys took
the city bus down,

to what the media was
already calling Ground Zero.

Some firemen called it the pile for
us it was still the Trade Center.

Even if it
was gone.

Hey guys, here three ones, that
means something might be coming down.

So keep your eyes open when
you're walking around down there.

And I just realized,

something that I
always wanted to deny,

is how evil,

evil can be.

We went down and formed up
companies five men and an officer.

We went to work right away
trying to look for survivors.

Guys were digging fast
passing those buckets quick.

Digging frantically.

We'd be digging and and all of a
sudden everybody would say quiet.

And the whole place would get
quiet and people would look.

And then slowly they would go
back to work and start again.

And that was that's how
things went down there.

I remember the first
time when there was like,

you know, gateway to hell.

Technically Jules and Gideon shouldn't
have been anywhere near that sack.

It was dangerous enough
for us firefighters.

Every step you took we could
fall 30,40 feet to a void.

Jules and Gideon said they had
to be there but not to film.

We would only take the camera
and film for a few minutes.

How we force ourself
to take the camera down,

because we just wanted
to go there and help.

We clear what we could by hand.

And the ironworkers would come in cut
the steel beams and lift them out.

Then we just start digging again.

You have 210 storey,
office buildings.

You don't find a desk,
you don't find a chair,

you don't find a
telephone, a computer,

the biggest piece of
a telephone I found,

was half of the keypad
and it was about this big.

The building
collapsed to dust.

How are we supposed to find anybody in this
if there's nothing left of the building?

Find a little spot,

and you just keep going
and digging and digging,

trying to find something.

You find a foot and then they said
the building's gonna collapse.

You run away.

Go, go, go!

And then we will go back,

and,

mostly just dig.

We found, found a
body, it was a girl.

She was dead. She was
she was definitely dead.

All her clothes had
been burned off her.

She looked to be pregnant some
people thought maybe she was just,

bloated but I don't think so she
was she was encased in rubble.

And we had her about
halfway uncovered.

And you have a body bag already
and then they told us to run.

We ran.

I never got to see
if they got her out,

...saying are at least
I got one person out.

One family will be able
to have a decent funeral.

Our first shift was 24 hours
and in all that time,

there was one person
pulled out alive.

One.

It was beyond discouraging it
was even hard to understand.

It was weird in a way,
walking back to the firehouse,

people were
cheering us.

But we sure didn't
feel like heroes.

Every day the whole of, strangers
was showing up with supplies.

-...you could use this towel.
-Thank you. Thank you very much.

They open up the doors alone behold,
the deliveries were coming by the ton.

Let's go right around the
corner just dump on the floor.

You can't eat all the
cookies they're giving it.

I know it's early any operation
here but I just want to,

thank everyone for all the hard
work that they've been doing.

How we're here? Only God knows.

But, ok guys, thank you so much.
I really, you don't have idea...

Something special, you know,
when guys are relentless.

And just call it back and
forth guys with nails,

in there and the head
taping it up gashes,

blood everywhere just taping it up and saying
let's go back, let's see what we can do,

to make this situation
a little better.

There's got to be people down
there still alive there has to be.

Listen, we try to keep hope,

and we look everywhere.

We even crawled down
into the stores,

and the subway tunnels
underneath the site.

But the days
turned into weeks,

and we began to accept,

it just wasn't anybody to find.

But we never stopped looking.

-Hey chief... -What's up?
-We get another body over here.

Firemen deal with
ugly things every day.

It's part of the job.

But this was worse.

Bring the body back.

Day after day,

it push guys
to their limit.

Maybe past it.

Other guys don't know they're
gonna do the job anymore.

I know it's either this,

or the army now.

But I like saving lives
I don't like taking them.

Bbut after what I saw if there
is my country decides to send me,

to go kill,

I'll do it now.

Every night around dinnertime
the fire department,

would put out a list of fire
fighters confirmed dead.

And every night that
list got longer.

We regret that the department announce
the dead of the following members:

Battalion chief
John T Williamson.

Firefighter William Henry.

Firefighter Eric T Power.

Firefighter Emanuel Gornica.

Firefighter Lorence J Virgilio.

firefighter Timothy Asco.

We lost so many people
that everybody has lost,

dear friends and I just
wanted to... but the dozens.

Most days there was a memorial
service for some guy you knew.

Some days two or
three some days four.

One of those services was for
Kevin Pfeifer the Chiefs brother.

He was last seen in the
stairs of Tower one,

directing guys to the fastest
way out of the building.

I would say that chief
Pfeifer's brother saved my life.

Saved a lot of lives.

And I remember walking
down West Street,

and just remembering saying,

you know, how much my brother and
I used to love being downtown,

and,

in doing this job,

and,

and,

and how now I didn't
love it anymore.

A few weeks past,

and we got new rigs,

well, used rigs, to replace
Engine seven and Ladder One.

They're still buried
in there somewhere,

under the pile.

Eventually we started
going on runs again.

Playing pranks again
and trying our best.

To love the job again.

But things will never
be the way they were.

Every now and then still wonder
is it is it really true, you know.

I know it happened but, I don't know how
do you deal with something like this.

It's the eleventh every
day from when I wake up.

As for Jules and Gideon it's
strange how things work out.

In the beginning they
came to me and they said,

let's make a documentary
about a boy becoming a man,

during this nine-month
probationary period.

Turns out Tony became a
man in about nine hours,

trying to help
out on 9/11.

You know how you can tell
that? He's not bragging about.

Do I feel like it's given me more
of a sense of self-worth? Yes.

Does it make me a man?

What's a man?

And I'll still watch cartoons
and do my stupid things.

I'm just a person who
tries to do good,

just like every other person
in the fire department.

For the fire department
now it's about rebuilding,

somehow.

At our firehouse we've already
got new probies to break in.

Two guys fresh out of the Academy.

It's strange to think they'll
never know what it was like,

to be in New York City
firemen before September 11

And they'll never really
understand what we lost that day.

All we can do is
tell him the stories,

and show them the tape.

A scholarship fund has been set up to support
the families of New York City firefighters.

Your donation can help shape a future.

9/11 presented by Nextel.

In the end it's hard to weigh
what happened on September 11.

You can measure some things
the height of a building the,

size of its floors the number
of people who work there.

Bricks and steel are one thing but
human lives you can't calculate that.

Nearly 3,000 people
died here on 9/11.

Nearly 200 more at the Pentagon.

Still more in the plane that
crashed that day in Pennsylvania.

You can add it up but numbers don't
do justice to what was really lost.

Fathers and sons, wives,
mothers and daughters...

A lot of us watch stories
like the one you've,

seen tonight and
wonder what we can do.

A scholarship fund has been set up
to help the families of all New York firefighters.

In a moment we'll
tell you how you can help.

There are many people still
working here at ground zero.

It's now hallowed ground.

So every day 24 hours a
day seven days a week,

the work goes on and the
hope that it'll give,

the families, of those
who were lost, some peace.

People have asked us why we
wanted to show this material?

Part of it was history but
the other part is personal.

The men who shot this
material wanted the world,

to see this moment in
history as they saw it.

Not a moment of terror
but one of strength.

When good men did
great things,

tens of thousands were saved by
simple acts of courage.

We hope that will be the true legacy of
the men from Engine Seven Ladder One.

It's the legacy of all those
who are on duty tonight.

And every night men and women
waiting for a chance to answer the call,

in tribute to all those
who lost their lives in 9/11.

I'm Robert DeNiro, goodnight.

THE FILM IS DEDICATED TO ALL THOSE WHO
LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE ATTACKS ON 9/11

LET US NEVER FORGOT

They lay down their
lives for strangers.

They were inspired by
their sense of duty.

And their love
for Humanity.

They did not live to know who
had caused the destruction,

or why. They only knew their duty and that
was to go in to follow the faintest cry,

to search for the
trapped and helpless.

And to save those who can be saved.