Remarks
by the President at 9/11 Museum Dedication
New York
May 15, 2014
Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Cuomo,
honored guests, families of the fallen.
In those awful moments after the
South Tower was hit, some of the injured huddled in the wreckage of the 78th
floor. The fires were spreading. The air was filled with smoke. It was dark, and they could barely see. It seemed as if there was no way out.
And then there came a voice –
clear, calm, saying he had found the stairs.
A young man in his 20s, strong, emerged from the smoke, and over his
nose and his mouth he wore a red handkerchief.
He called for fire extinguishers
to fight back the flames. He tended to
the wounded. He led those survivors down
the stairs to safety, and carried a woman on his shoulders down 17 flights.
Then he went back. Back up all those
flights. Then back down again, bringing
more wounded to safety. Until that
moment when the tower fell.
They didn’t know his name. They didn’t know where he came from. But they knew their lives had been saved by
the man in the red bandana.
Again, Mayor Bloomberg;
distinguished guests; Mayor de Blasio; Governors Christie and Cuomo; to the
families and survivors of that day; to all those who responded with such
courage -- on behalf of Michelle and myself and the American people, it is an
honor for us to join in your memories.
To remember and to reflect. But
above all, to reaffirm the true spirit of 9/11 – love, compassion, sacrifice –
and to enshrine it forever in the heart of our nation.
Michelle and I just had the
opportunity to join with others on a visit with some of the survivors and
families – men and women who inspire us all.
And we had a chance to visit some of the exhibits. And I think all who come here will find it to
be a profound and moving experience.
I want to express our deep
gratitude to everybody who was involved in this great undertaking – for bringing
us to this day, for giving us this sacred place of healing and of hope.
Here, at this memorial, this
museum, we come together. We stand in
the footprints of two mighty towers, graced by the rush of eternal waters. We look into the faces of nearly 3,000
innocent souls – men and women and children of every race, every creed, and
every corner of the world. We can touch
their names and hear their voices and glimpse the small items that speak to the
beauty of their lives. A wedding
ring. A dusty helmet. A shining badge.
Here we tell their story, so that
generations yet unborn will never forget.
Of coworkers who led others to safety.
Passengers who stormed a cockpit.
Our men and women in uniform who rushed into an inferno. Our first responders who charged up those
stairs. A generation of servicemembers –
our 9/11 Generation – who have served with honor in more than a decade of
war. A nation that stands tall and
united and unafraid -- because no act of terror can match the strength or the character
of our country. Like the great wall and
bedrock that embrace us today, nothing can ever break us; nothing can change
who we are as Americans.
On that September morning, Alison
Crowther lost her son Welles. Months
later, she was reading the newspaper – an article about those final minutes in
the towers. Survivors recounted how a
young man wearing a red handkerchief had led them to safety. And in that moment, Alison knew. Ever since he was a boy, her son had always
carried a red handkerchief. Her son
Welles was the man in the red bandana.
Welles was just 24 years old,
with a broad smile and a bright future.
He worked in the South Tower, on the 104th floor. He had a big laugh, a
joy of life, and dreams of seeing the world.
He worked in finance, but he had also been a volunteer firefighter. And after the planes hit, he put on that
bandana and spent his final moments saving others.
Three years ago this month, after
our SEALs made sure that justice was done, I came to Ground Zero. And among the families here that day was
Alison Crowther. And she told me about
Welles and his fearless spirit, and she showed me a handkerchief like the one
he wore that morning.
And today, as we saw on our tour,
one of his red handkerchiefs is on display in this museum. And from this day forward, all those who come
here will have a chance to know the sacrifice of a young man who – like so many
– gave his life so others might live.
Those we lost live on in us. In the families who love them still. In the friends who remember them always. And in a nation that will honor them, now and
forever.
And today it is my honor to introduce two women forever bound by that day, united in their determination to keep alive the true spirit of 9/11 – Welles Crowther’s mother Alison, and one of those he saved, Ling Young. (Applause.) |
