Giuliani Speaks Out on 9/11 Memorial

Twelve months have passed. The debris is gone. The thousands who worked tirelessly to rescue and recover those who died no longer dig through the night. The twisted remains of New York's two biggest buildings no longer stand as reminders of the worst attack in American history.

But I haven't changed. When I go to ground zero now, I feel as shocked, angry and resolute as I did a year ago. On Sept. 14, 2001, I flew over the site in a helicopter with President George W. Bush and Governor George Pataki. I had been there many times during the three days after the attack, but that was the first time I had seen the smoking ruins from above. It was indescribably awful. A year has done nothing to erase these images from my mind.

What happened at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and outside Shanksville, Pa., was not a natural disaster or some colossal accident. This was mass murder perpetrated by madmen bent on destroying not only American lives but also American values. These attacks were not just on the people who were killed and injured but also on the very things that define us as a society: religious freedom, equality, economic opportunity and political choice. I learned as a prosecutor that intent matters. When a loved one dies in an accident, of course it's painful. But knowing that your husband or wife or mother or son is gone because of an intentional act cuts much more deeply.

One way of dealing with this lasting pain is to talk about it. I frequently discuss Sept. 11, often with those who have been most affected by the attacks. I try to confront what was done to us and the importance of being resolute. I've also attended many memorials and funerals, which reinforced a lesson my father taught me long ago about being there for people when they need you most. It's a two-way street. People absorb strength from you, and you get it back from them.

Back at ground zero—16 barren acres, including the footprints of the towers—the debate continues about how best to commemorate the loss. There are many competing pressures and different viewpoints. I am convinced that ground zero must first and foremost be a memorial. All other decisions should flow from that goal. If anything else is added to the site, it should complement and not overshadow the memorial. People a hundred years from now should be able to grasp the enormity of this attack by visiting this sacred ground. Ground zero is a cemetery. It is the last resting place for loved ones whose bodies were not recovered and whose remains are still within that hallowed ground. We must respect the role these events play in our history.

It is the place where the President came and told the exhausted rescue workers, "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." President Bush has been determined to keep his commitment to eliminate global terrorism. An appropriately large and enduring tribute at the site will remind future generations of that commitment. Recalling these attacks and their aftermath will remind people today that we need to be unyielding in completing the war on terror. And it will remind people tomorrow that we must never let something like this happen again.

If it were up to me, I'd devote the entire 16 acres to the memorial. A soaring structure should dominate the site, taking its place along New York City's wonderful skyline. It should be visible for miles to demonstrate the spirit of those who gave their lives to defend freedom. There should be a museum and a library. Those who visit should be able to relive the experience in a way that does justice to the enormity of the events. The memorial should echo the goals of the city's Museum of Jewish Heritage, which sits a stone's throw away. The purpose of that museum is to demonstrate the horror of the Holocaust as well as celebrate the survival and strength of the Jewish people. Done correctly, the memorial at ground zero will commemorate the horror and the heroism of Sept. 11.

If we don't do this correctly—if we let some minor memorial be dwarfed by office space—people a hundred years from now will say this generation did not understand the significance of that world-altering day. Sept. 11 must not lose its resonance as time dulls the sharp edges of our collective memory. Ground zero is the site of the worst attack in the history of this country. I pray it will be the worst attack in the history of this country a hundred years from now. Done correctly, a memorial will inspire people. It should not symbolize the loss of our world before Sept. 11 or of an America that no longer exists. It should symbolize our survival and our triumph.

I'm an optimist. Our way is the way of the future. Nation after nation sees that and embraces democracy. It is not a perfectly smooth road. But it's undeniably the way the world is headed. And that's a good thing.

Because—and I don't mean this belligerently—we're right and they're wrong. Those who attacked us had no idea how deep the American spirit runs. I think our grief, rage and resolve have surprised even us. One year later, that might be the most resonant lesson of all. America's resilience—the depth of this nation's character—should never be underestimated.

I think he's got the right idea. But how will one ensure that the memorial won't be dwarfed by the rest of the sky-line? Some have suggested re-building the towers on a grander scale. But is a comercial center on such hollowed ground really appropriate? I think not!

"If we don't do this correctly—if we let some minor memorial be dwarfed by office space—people a hundred years from now will say this generation did not understand the significance of that world-altering day."

Maybe there should be a moratorium on doing ANYTHING (other than completing the cleanup) at that site for a period of, say, five years.

Just a thought.

But is a comercial center on such hollowed ground really appropriate?

See, I think that's exactly what is appropriate. That's what the scumbags were attacking, our way of life, our prosperity, our freedom.

That's why on September 11th we should go to work and work harder, play harder, spend more money. Yes, pause to remember those who died.

But then stand shoulder to shoulder with those like ourselves left to carry on.

In my mind, those who perpetrated 9/11 and their allies haven't even begun to pay the price for their deeds.

I applaud Mr. Guiliani for not taking the more popular self blaming Kumbaya road that we hear from the gutless politicos in DC, the UN and the EUnuchs.

A year from Sept. 11th, only Afghanistan has changed. Two years from Sept. 11th, the whole Mideast landscape will have changed. If not, we have failed our 3,052 countrymen who were murdered by Islamofascists.

I have a lot of respect for Hizzoner. However, on this issue, I must disagree. I believe that the only appropriate memorial to those who died (apart, of course, from terrible vengeance) is to build a soaring, taller structure, symbolic of America in general and New York in particular. It should, IMHO, eschew the minimalist, box-like approach of most modern skyscrapers and return to a more ornate style, as with the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings.

a Spire like those, reaching to the heavens, would symbolize the onward - marching, optimistic spirit which built the original towers, and animated our country.

Enough cemeteries have been built, and we can do no more for the dead now, save avenge them. We do not need to be reminded of our grief, but of our courage.

The next building to stand there should aspire to be no less than the tallest, most beautiful and inspiring structure ever created, demonstrating to the entire world that our spirits cannot be broken by small animals with evil hearts.,p> Oh, and don't leave out the PHALANX and SAM batteries...

I think a waiting period would be in order.

I also don't understand why rebuilding a commercial site would be wrong.

London, Berlin, Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were rebuilt. Hundreds of thousands (millions?) lost their lives in those cities.

They were not forgotten. Building a new office complex would not necessarily tarnish the memories of loved ones lost.

Just a thought.

We should just make it the world's most expensive cemetery land. That is exactly what the terrorists wanted to do. They wanted to turn the symbol of our commercial and economic success into a symbol of our death. Why not.

While we are at it, why don't we shut the Pentagon down and turn it into a giant flower garden full of crosses. It certainly would not do to have war planning or normal bureaucratic work carried out in such a holy ground where people died.

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