WEBVTT - The 9/11 Generation a Generation Later 0:00:02.020 --> 0:00:07.030 And today, 25 years to the day after that fateful day, 0:00:08.010 --> 0:00:12.950 have we still remembered the lessons of 9-11? Welcome to 0:00:13.010 --> 0:00:18.950 the Dan O'Donnell Show. If you would like to join us, 0:00:18.970 --> 0:00:23.610 414-799-1130 on our Carpetland USA Flooring Center talk and text line, 0:00:23.730 --> 0:00:28.730 email DOD at iHeartMedia.com. Yes, of course, the day begins. 0:00:29.310 --> 0:00:32.870 is one that we will be reflecting on 9-11 25 0:00:32.870 --> 0:00:37.919 years ago today, September 11th, 2001. We will talk with 0:00:38.020 --> 0:00:40.300 someone who is trying to keep the lessons of 9-11 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:44.760 alive for a generation of people who were not alive 0:00:45.260 --> 0:00:48.710 when the Twin Towers went down. A hundred million people 0:00:48.850 --> 0:00:52.570 in this country, a full one-third of the entire U.S. 0:00:52.610 --> 0:00:56.490 population was not yet born. And we will tell you, 0:00:57.470 --> 0:01:01.350 about an incredible project right here in Wisconsin that is 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:05.399 aiming to educate that generation of Americans and really all 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:10.020 of us telling us about what 9-11 was and what 0:01:10.060 --> 0:01:13.560 we all pledged, how we all pledged to never forget 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:18.350 25 years ago today in the moments, hours, days, weeks 0:01:18.530 --> 0:01:25.280 that followed. Well, things steadily, slowly, surely, inevitably changed. I think. 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:28.920 Got back to normal. The same old political divisions cropped 0:01:29.220 --> 0:01:32.700 up and we are more divided in many ways than 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:36.370 we ever were before. We have also got a lot 0:01:36.510 --> 0:01:39.970 of other stuff to get to today. Of course, daily 0:01:40.069 --> 0:01:44.250 Trump date, President Trump speaking at the annual remembrance at 0:01:44.290 --> 0:01:47.270 the Pentagon. We are also going to get into some 0:01:47.310 --> 0:01:50.190 local politics. We're going to get a wrap up of 0:01:50.420 --> 0:01:55.330 the big midterm convention, first ever midterm convention, Wisconsin Congressman 0:01:55.370 --> 0:01:59.610 Glenn Grothman was there. He's going to provide a quick 0:01:59.690 --> 0:02:02.470 synopsis of it. We're going to talk about where we 0:02:02.510 --> 0:02:06.030 go from here as we are in a sprint to 0:02:06.050 --> 0:02:09.990 the midterm election here in Wisconsin and across the country. 0:02:10.570 --> 0:02:12.690 So if you want to follow the Dan O'Donnell show 0:02:12.940 --> 0:02:16.600 on social media at Dan O'Donnell show X, Facebook, Instagram, 0:02:16.980 --> 0:02:20.880 Dan O'Donnell show podcast available on I heart radio or 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:25.860 wherever you listen to podcasts. In New York City today, 0:02:26.220 --> 0:02:30.100 the traditional reading of the names of the 9-11 victims. 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:32.100 James V. 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:34.910 De Blasio Jr. J. 0:02:34.930 --> 0:02:37.250 Sorrell Malabuyak de Chavez. 0:02:41.830 --> 0:02:48.200 And my brother, Joseph Michael Giacconi. The pain is still there. 0:02:49.490 --> 0:02:52.970 The void in my family will never be completely healed. 0:02:53.870 --> 0:02:58.430 The what could have been and should have been still 0:02:58.470 --> 0:03:03.110 make me angry. He should have been holding his two 0:03:03.270 --> 0:03:05.209 beautiful grandchildren right now. 0:03:07.010 --> 0:03:10.980 But Joe and Sandra did a good job. And this ceremony, 0:03:11.460 --> 0:03:13.060 this ceremony is essential. 0:03:14.110 --> 0:03:16.989 At the very least, I get to come here one 0:03:17.070 --> 0:03:22.889 day a year and speak my brother's name, Joseph Michael Giacconi, 0:03:23.090 --> 0:03:23.549 out loud. 0:03:24.290 --> 0:03:28.070 And you hear it. And he is here. And he 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:30.880 is present. And he is never forgotten. 0:03:32.500 --> 0:03:33.600 We love you and miss you. 0:03:34.300 --> 0:03:38.880 The morning filled with poignant tributes like that from family members. Yes, 0:03:39.340 --> 0:03:44.280 Zoran Mamdani, the controversial mayor of New York City, Did attend. 0:03:44.300 --> 0:03:49.520 He was actually videotaped laughing with AOC as some of 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:56.010 those names were read. Definitely not a good look for Mamdani. Now, everybody, 0:03:56.310 --> 0:03:59.990 I think, who was alive during 9-11 remembers exactly where 0:04:00.090 --> 0:04:02.990 they were, exactly how they heard the news. I've told 0:04:03.030 --> 0:04:06.590 the story often. 9-11 was sort of the seminal moment 0:04:06.810 --> 0:04:08.870 in my young life. I had just turned 20 years old. 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:13.260 I was actually broadcasting a radio show on Marquette university 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:17.539 radio on the radio station there. And we had gotten 0:04:17.660 --> 0:04:20.840 word that a plane had hit one of the twin 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:23.320 towers in New York city. Now this was just after, 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:26.039 in fact, I think just a couple of months after 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:28.200 a New York Yankees pitcher by the name of Corey 0:04:28.310 --> 0:04:32.630 Lytle crashed his single or twin engine plane, his small 0:04:32.730 --> 0:04:36.190 personal aircraft in New York city. So the thinking was, 0:04:36.620 --> 0:04:40.080 that this was another incident like that, that some small 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:43.620 plane had lost its way. And I'll never forget the 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:47.680 ashen look on my co-host's face when I asked, well, 0:04:47.700 --> 0:04:52.050 what type of plane was it? He said a 737. 0:04:52.790 --> 0:04:55.289 And we sort of looked at each other for a second. 0:04:56.150 --> 0:04:58.809 And I can remember trying to get more information because 0:04:58.890 --> 0:05:02.810 this was well before the Marquette radio station, which now 0:05:02.850 --> 0:05:07.330 has incredible, uh, equipment and it's just very, very well done. 0:05:07.350 --> 0:05:10.490 There's a podcast space as well, but back then there 0:05:10.550 --> 0:05:13.870 wasn't even a TV monitor in the studio. So I 0:05:13.890 --> 0:05:15.630 had to go out and this was a class building, 0:05:15.690 --> 0:05:19.140 Johnston Hall. And I walked into a classroom and there 0:05:19.180 --> 0:05:22.500 was a TV that was on a cart. Anybody of 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:26.320 my age will remember how we used to watch news 0:05:26.380 --> 0:05:29.740 events or movies or some, there's that old tube TV 0:05:30.730 --> 0:05:32.570 that was on a cart. And there were a number 0:05:32.890 --> 0:05:36.050 of other students and maybe a teacher, professor or two 0:05:36.430 --> 0:05:38.570 who were already in there. And I walked in just 0:05:38.830 --> 0:05:42.599 at the moment that the second plane hit the twin tower. 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:47.100 And in that moment, immediately knew that the entire world 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:50.700 had changed. This was not an accident. America was under attack. 0:05:50.760 --> 0:05:54.520 I rushed back in, finished the rest of that broadcast. 0:05:55.370 --> 0:05:58.070 And spent probably the next two to three weeks doing 0:05:58.110 --> 0:06:03.170 nothing but consuming news. And I had been really forced 0:06:03.330 --> 0:06:08.150 from my little self-involved shell, as I suppose everyone at 0:06:08.230 --> 0:06:11.729 age 19, 20 is. You're focused on school. You're focused 0:06:11.810 --> 0:06:15.250 on girls. You're focused on parties and friends. And you're 0:06:15.270 --> 0:06:17.490 aware of a great big world out there. And it's 0:06:17.790 --> 0:06:20.450 probably a lot different now because of the prevalence of 0:06:20.550 --> 0:06:23.290 social media, because everyone is always connected. But back then, 0:06:23.870 --> 0:06:30.029 we really... weren't. And while everyone has a story on 9-11, 0:06:30.950 --> 0:06:34.670 I think it's my generation that really, because it was 0:06:34.730 --> 0:06:38.690 that seminal moment, has the story to tell that it 0:06:38.810 --> 0:06:41.880 was so formative in our lives, but really how formative. 0:06:41.940 --> 0:06:45.000 I actually sat down this morning kind of thinking about 0:06:45.420 --> 0:06:50.089 where we all were as young adults and you know, 0:06:50.230 --> 0:06:53.190 just starting our lives, really. Maybe we're in college, maybe 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:55.660 we're still in high school, maybe we're just out of college. 0:06:56.080 --> 0:07:00.580 That sort of mini-generation in between the millennials and Generation X, 0:07:01.020 --> 0:07:06.990 we're called the X-ennials, usually about 45 now, down until 0:07:07.050 --> 0:07:11.090 about maybe 40, 39, somewhere in there. So I sat 0:07:11.130 --> 0:07:15.500 down and I penned this essay about 25 years since 9-11. 0:07:18.620 --> 0:07:22.480 Where we were, where we are, and hopefully, where we're going. 0:07:24.500 --> 0:07:29.250 We were just kids. High school seniors, college freshmen, standing 0:07:29.290 --> 0:07:32.330 at the edge of adulthood with no real idea how 0:07:32.370 --> 0:07:36.710 the world worked. On a sunny Tuesday in September, we 0:07:36.750 --> 0:07:41.690 learned horrifyingly quickly. From classrooms and dorm rooms, we watched 0:07:41.770 --> 0:07:45.180 the second plane hit and didn't so much feel the 0:07:45.270 --> 0:07:49.710 shock and pain as it wholly consumed us. The smoke, 0:07:49.750 --> 0:07:52.740 the flames, the tiny specks falling from the towers that 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:56.400 we gradually realized were people. By the time the first 0:07:56.460 --> 0:08:01.100 tower fell, our childhoods were over. In our first few 0:08:01.200 --> 0:08:04.040 hours and days of a new form of adulthood, we 0:08:04.180 --> 0:08:06.950 swore we would never forget the moment that shaped us. 0:08:07.670 --> 0:08:11.110 The anguish, the hopelessness, sure, but also the sense of 0:08:11.210 --> 0:08:13.570 duty and resolve that filled us with a sense of 0:08:13.670 --> 0:08:17.250 solidarity and national pride that we promised would never fade. 0:08:18.070 --> 0:08:22.100 And for a while, It didn't. In that defining moment, 0:08:22.210 --> 0:08:24.880 patriotism wasn't a buzzword. It was a way of life. 0:08:25.300 --> 0:08:29.060 It was our way of life. We flew the flag proudly. 0:08:29.100 --> 0:08:32.040 We volunteered to help in recovery efforts in whatever way 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:35.020 we could. Many of us enlisted in the military to 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:38.620 fight what we decided was the most just and necessary 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:44.120 war of our lifetimes. Never forget, we told ourselves, and really, 0:08:44.210 --> 0:08:48.900 how could we? We weren't the millennial generation anymore. We 0:08:48.940 --> 0:08:53.949 were the 9-11 generation, shaped forever by an event that 0:08:54.010 --> 0:08:58.150 felt simultaneously larger than life itself, but also intensely personal. 0:08:59.030 --> 0:09:01.870 It was an attack on all Americans, but it felt 0:09:02.070 --> 0:09:06.170 especially targeted at us, an effort to darken the future 0:09:06.210 --> 0:09:10.240 of the nation we were just about to inherit. But 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:14.650 the passage of time is both inevitable and inescapable. And 0:09:14.710 --> 0:09:19.089 now a generation has passed since the 9-11 generation made 0:09:19.130 --> 0:09:23.250 those promises. We haven't broken them so much as they 0:09:23.290 --> 0:09:28.320 have slowly faded. Somewhere in the last 25 years, emotion 0:09:28.380 --> 0:09:34.340 became memory and immediacy became history. The concerns that 25 0:09:34.340 --> 0:09:38.140 years ago seemed so trivial again consume us, so much 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:41.520 so that a nation so united in purpose seems more 0:09:41.580 --> 0:09:45.740 divided than ever. And the 9-11 generation is at the 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:52.870 vanguard of a new generation of anti-Americanism. A new Islamist-tinged 0:09:53.150 --> 0:09:57.670 socialism has descended upon this country and its leading adherents, 0:09:57.890 --> 0:10:03.090 millennials all, espouse 9-11ism. only empathy for terrorists, but also 0:10:03.309 --> 0:10:09.630 many of the same radical beliefs that motivated them. Abdul El-Sayed, 0:10:10.190 --> 0:10:15.810 Michigan's radical left-wing United States Senate candidate, embodies this jarring shift. 0:10:16.690 --> 0:10:19.490 As he said at a town hall event last year. 0:10:19.510 --> 0:10:23.410 I think the the approach that we've often taken to 0:10:23.450 --> 0:10:27.510 terrorism has been to figure out how to leverage the 0:10:27.550 --> 0:10:32.109 might of the U.S. military to go in and root 0:10:32.130 --> 0:10:36.790 out certain terrorist organizations, etc. And where that's necessary, that's necessary. 0:10:37.830 --> 0:10:40.570 But I also think we need to be curious about 0:10:40.910 --> 0:10:43.250 why those things happen in the first place. 0:10:43.270 --> 0:10:46.610 What drives somebody to want to commit such a heinous act? 0:10:47.770 --> 0:10:50.420 I have to be a student of people's pain. That's 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:53.640 what I did in medicine. That's what I try to 0:10:53.740 --> 0:10:54.500 do in politics. 0:10:54.740 --> 0:11:00.160 He's not alone in his politics either. Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan 0:11:00.220 --> 0:11:04.640 Omar minimized the devastation of 9-11 to argue that its 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:11.020 real impact was Islamophobia. Here she is at a CARE 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:13.260 conference in 2019. 0:11:13.260 --> 0:11:19.290 CARE was founded after 9-11. Because they recognize that some 0:11:19.390 --> 0:11:23.350 people did something and that all of us were starting 0:11:23.410 --> 0:11:26.420 to lose access to our civil liberties. 0:11:26.700 --> 0:11:31.839 Now, that's obviously factually untrue. CARE was founded in 1994, 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:35.819 but her meaning is crystal clear. America wasn't the real 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:40.130 victim of 9-11, but rather the ultimate perpetrator because of 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:43.650 the way it mistreats marginalized people. And how could those 0:11:43.750 --> 0:11:50.040 marginalized people not want to attack it? Michigan Congresswoman Rashida 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:55.160 Tlaib echoed this sentiment in 2019, arguing in an interview 0:11:55.220 --> 0:11:59.800 with MAKERS that America's innate hatred was the real evil 0:11:59.880 --> 0:11:59.990 of 9-11. 0:12:00.100 --> 0:12:04.069 I was probably my second year in law school when 0:12:04.090 --> 0:12:09.110 9-11 happened. And I was really terrified of what was 0:12:09.130 --> 0:12:10.670 going to happen to my husband, who was only a 0:12:10.710 --> 0:12:13.710 green card holder at the time. I immediately called my 0:12:13.750 --> 0:12:15.989 brothers and told them, be very careful who you hang 0:12:16.070 --> 0:12:19.429 out with. telling my sisters, you know, just be real 0:12:19.470 --> 0:12:23.880 careful out there and being really afraid of my fellow Americans. 0:12:24.429 --> 0:12:29.800 In a tragic irony, nowhere is this anti-Americanism more prevalent 0:12:29.900 --> 0:12:33.660 or aggressive than at ground zero in New York City itself. 0:12:34.500 --> 0:12:38.819 Mayor Zoran Mamdani, now arguably this country's most famous communist, 0:12:39.230 --> 0:12:43.189 has spent years minimizing and trivializing 9-11 and framing it 0:12:43.570 --> 0:12:47.930 as mere pretext for the real evil of American imperialism 0:12:48.050 --> 0:12:52.180 and violence. This culminated in the run-up to the 25th 0:12:52.260 --> 0:12:56.140 anniversary of 9-11 just a few days ago, when Mamdani 0:12:56.220 --> 0:12:59.320 signed an executive order designating the day as an official 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:04.179 day of remembrance. He then handed the ceremonial pen to 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:10.110 his chief legal counsel, a literal terrorist defender whose own 0:13:10.190 --> 0:13:16.310 brother-in-law was one of the 9-11 hijackers. Video from the 0:13:16.350 --> 0:13:21.960 ceremony shows Mamdani's chief legal counsel, Ramzi Qasim, receiving the 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:24.880 pen and then smirking as though he was fully aware 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:29.640 of the obvious symbolism of his boss's gesture. Qasim has 0:13:29.780 --> 0:13:35.219 represented Ahmed al-Darby, a Guantanamo detainee who was convicted in 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:40.020 the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker. Qasem's sister 0:13:40.300 --> 0:13:45.050 was married to Khalil al-Midahar, one of the hijackers who 0:13:45.110 --> 0:13:51.050 crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. In just 0:13:51.050 --> 0:13:55.850 25 years, roughly half of the 9-11 generation is apparently 0:13:55.890 --> 0:13:59.290 just fine with this. Half of the 9-11 generation voted 0:13:59.330 --> 0:14:03.600 for this. Half of the 9-11 generation voted apparently thinks 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:08.380 like this. Half of the generation that swore it would 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:11.140 never forget the lessons it learned on the first day 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:14.640 of its adulthood somehow grew into a generation of children 0:14:14.750 --> 0:14:17.770 seduced by the promise of free toys if we simply 0:14:17.890 --> 0:14:22.290 pledge allegiance to a new flag. Yet half of that 0:14:22.370 --> 0:14:29.800 generation has steadfastly refused. Half of that generation rejects communism, socialism, Islamism, 0:14:29.860 --> 0:14:35.400 and anti-Americanism in all of its forms. And, most significantly, 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:39.200 half of that generation is raising what may be the 0:14:39.300 --> 0:14:44.020 single most pro-American generation of young men in at least 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:47.500 a half a century. We haven't just taught them the 0:14:47.530 --> 0:14:51.380 lessons of 9-11. We have lived them each and every 0:14:51.500 --> 0:14:55.060 day of the 25 years since the day that still 0:14:55.140 --> 0:15:00.130 shapes us and always will. Now our children's generation stands 0:15:00.230 --> 0:15:02.430 ready to inherit this nation and ready to fight the 0:15:02.570 --> 0:15:06.810 same ideology that we did. But that ideology, that hatred, 0:15:06.850 --> 0:15:10.950 that fundamental belief that America is the world's greatest threat 0:15:11.010 --> 0:15:14.130 is no longer a world away and striking only on 0:15:14.170 --> 0:15:18.810 a sunny September morning. It's embedded in our culture. It's 0:15:18.830 --> 0:15:23.930 in our politics, our schools, our media. It's seemingly everywhere. 0:15:25.450 --> 0:15:29.850 But the 9-11 generation is still here, still ready to 0:15:29.930 --> 0:15:33.170 fight it and fight for this country by teaching our 0:15:33.310 --> 0:15:38.770 children's and eventually our grandchildren's generations why today, just as 0:15:38.850 --> 0:15:43.460 much as 25 years ago, this fight is not one 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:47.740 we can afford to lose. If you would like to 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:53.040 read that, it is at the Heartland Post, heartlandpost.com. We've 0:15:53.060 --> 0:15:56.060 got links to it at Dan O'Donnell Show on X 0:15:56.180 --> 0:16:01.410 and facebook.com slash danodonnellshow as well. We'll be right back. 0:16:02.060 --> 0:16:07.750 here on the Dan O'Donnell show it was 25 years 0:16:07.830 --> 0:16:11.930 ago today that the world changed forever but as we 0:16:12.030 --> 0:16:15.729 said here on the Dan O'Donnell show for many people 0:16:15.830 --> 0:16:20.050 a full third of all Americans alive today it's a 0:16:20.090 --> 0:16:25.370 historical event it's not something that immediately brings to mind 0:16:25.470 --> 0:16:29.340 the trauma and the feelings of helplessness and sadness and 0:16:29.440 --> 0:16:33.740 resolve that we all felt as Americans. A quarter century 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:38.140 has passed. How do we keep that memory alive forever? 0:16:38.540 --> 0:16:41.180 How do we make it come alive for those who 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:45.619 weren't alive on September 11th, 2001? The best way to 0:16:45.680 --> 0:16:51.840 do that is through education. In Kewoskum, the Wisconsin 9-11 0:16:52.420 --> 0:16:57.720 Memorial has just launched an effort to dramatically expand that 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:02.970 educational mission and make 9-11 a living bit of history 0:17:03.070 --> 0:17:06.709 for those maybe who didn't actually experience it. Joining me 0:17:06.750 --> 0:17:09.869 now on the phone is the president of the Wisconsin 0:17:09.890 --> 0:17:13.540 9-11 Memorial, Mark Bazzotta. He is also the superintendent of 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:17.680 the Kewoskum School District. And Mark, thank you so much, 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.500 first of all, not just for joining me, but also 0:17:21.020 --> 0:17:22.920 making this your mission. 0:17:23.660 --> 0:17:24.400 Yeah, absolutely. 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.320 Well, thanks for having me on. It's a pleasure, but 0:17:27.420 --> 0:17:30.429 you're absolutely right when we take a look at the 0:17:30.530 --> 0:17:35.750 mission of the Wisconsin 9-11 Memorial. It really is around education, 0:17:36.250 --> 0:17:39.420 making sure that we go back to that statement that 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.980 we always say, never forget, right? Because, you know, 25 0:17:42.980 --> 0:17:45.100 years ago, we made a promise. And I was a 0:17:45.300 --> 0:17:48.320 teacher just starting out teaching at the time. And we 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:50.609 made a promise not to forget. And keeping that promise 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:53.470 today means teaching a generation that wasn't there. 0:17:54.390 --> 0:17:57.730 So right now, I mean, the Memorial and Education Center 0:17:57.750 --> 0:18:01.630 in Kewoska, it opened five years ago to coincide with 0:18:01.710 --> 0:18:07.530 the 20th anniversary. Well, it's an outdoor experience. I, I 0:18:07.550 --> 0:18:09.810 will be totally honest. I have not been there yet, 0:18:09.930 --> 0:18:13.490 but with what you're planning to do, I'm, I'm absolutely 0:18:13.810 --> 0:18:16.820 making it a mission to get there. At some point, 0:18:17.020 --> 0:18:21.100 there is a 2,200 pound steel I beam that was 0:18:21.180 --> 0:18:24.980 recovered from the North tower. You've got learning stations on 0:18:25.020 --> 0:18:29.609 the events of the day, a survivor tree, There is 0:18:29.630 --> 0:18:33.920 a veterans area. But now you're trying to make a 0:18:34.060 --> 0:18:39.040 permanent year-round memorial. Tell us about what it is that 0:18:39.180 --> 0:18:40.520 you're trying to do right now. 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:45.400 Yeah, great point. You know, obviously the memorial that we've 0:18:45.450 --> 0:18:48.030 got right now kind of started back in 2014 when 0:18:48.070 --> 0:18:51.149 we applied to get that piece of steel. And then 0:18:51.190 --> 0:18:53.709 it took us a good seven years between that and 0:18:53.730 --> 0:18:56.510 the fundraising to be able to create the memorial that 0:18:56.530 --> 0:18:59.389 we've got right now, which is a fantastic space for 0:18:59.430 --> 0:19:04.990 people to come, reflect on, be inspired by, learn about 9-11. 0:19:05.670 --> 0:19:08.790 But being an outdoor space, it's got some limitations to it. 0:19:08.980 --> 0:19:11.060 And so what we want to do is we really 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:16.340 want to create a Midwest destination for 9-11 education. Our 0:19:16.420 --> 0:19:20.100 vision is to serve students and families from Wisconsin and 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:25.220 neighboring states, It's not intended to replace the national memorials, 0:19:25.300 --> 0:19:28.199 but it's the idea of bringing that history and lessons 0:19:28.300 --> 0:19:31.179 of September 11th within reach of our families and schools 0:19:31.700 --> 0:19:34.850 who might not have that ability to travel the thousands 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:36.750 of miles or have the money to be able to 0:19:36.790 --> 0:19:39.090 go to New York to be able to experience that. 0:19:39.230 --> 0:19:42.590 So we feel like Wisconsin and other people in the 0:19:42.630 --> 0:19:46.590 Midwest deserve the right to be able to have a 0:19:46.810 --> 0:19:49.290 similar experience, but be able to do it here. 0:19:49.310 --> 0:19:53.060 And that's a fantastic point. We think, hey, you know what, 0:19:53.100 --> 0:19:57.160 there is the National Museum, the National Memorial. Of course, 0:19:57.200 --> 0:20:01.460 there was all of that ceremony going on, as there 0:20:01.520 --> 0:20:04.980 has been every single tonight. We'll have the tribute in light. 0:20:05.890 --> 0:20:09.850 for the 9-11 victims, the nearly 4,000 people who lost 0:20:09.890 --> 0:20:14.570 their lives. And I've been there. It is truly remarkable. 0:20:14.609 --> 0:20:17.920 I mean, it just takes your breath away because all 0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:20.220 of that memory, all of that emotion just kind of 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:23.000 comes flooding back. But there are so many people who 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:25.530 don't have the opportunity to go all the way to 0:20:25.550 --> 0:20:27.770 New York City, to go all the way to Washington, D.C., 0:20:27.950 --> 0:20:32.280 or there's the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, That's 0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:34.800 why it's so important to having Kewoskum, Wisconsin, just sort 0:20:34.820 --> 0:20:38.410 of a centrally located spot in the upper Midwest for people, 0:20:38.770 --> 0:20:41.160 not just in our state, but our entire region to 0:20:41.340 --> 0:20:43.320 get that sort of experience. 0:20:45.340 --> 0:20:48.740 Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, we're talking about now expanding 0:20:48.780 --> 0:20:53.770 that out to an indoor museum and education center. As 0:20:53.790 --> 0:20:57.210 you can imagine, in Wisconsin, having an outdoor space is 0:20:57.350 --> 0:20:59.350 great for a good portion of the year, but there's 0:20:59.369 --> 0:21:02.149 a good portion of the year that is really not 0:21:02.690 --> 0:21:05.750 great for bringing in community groups, for bringing in school 0:21:05.790 --> 0:21:09.690 field trips. So we're looking at a 4,500 square foot 0:21:09.810 --> 0:21:15.050 indoor education center. It's going to have interactive exhibits, educational stations. 0:21:15.600 --> 0:21:19.320 going to have spaces for school groups, community programming. It's 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:23.550 going to have some multifunctional gathering spaces. As a superintendent, 0:21:23.570 --> 0:21:26.550 I'm always thinking about sort of the logistics of bringing 0:21:26.570 --> 0:21:29.750 a large group of students here. You know, where are bathrooms? 0:21:29.830 --> 0:21:32.230 Where can we eat lunch? So we'll have those different 0:21:32.250 --> 0:21:34.880 pieces there. And If you take a look at the renderings, 0:21:35.010 --> 0:21:38.370 the building itself is really going to be a testament 0:21:38.390 --> 0:21:40.950 to 9-11. There's all sorts of symbolism that's going to 0:21:40.970 --> 0:21:42.550 be built into the actual architecture. 0:21:42.830 --> 0:21:51.750 And you can actually see that at wisconsin911memorial. com, wisconsin911memorial. com. And 0:21:51.770 --> 0:21:54.350 I would strongly encourage you to visit that site, not 0:21:54.390 --> 0:21:57.530 just to check out the renderings, but This is a 0:21:57.630 --> 0:22:01.830 massive undertaking, and this is the launch of a capital 0:22:01.990 --> 0:22:06.460 campaign to try to raise the money, $ 4 million, to 0:22:07.300 --> 0:22:10.080 get this project off the ground, to get it built, 0:22:10.380 --> 0:22:14.400 and to get, I think, future generations to understand just 0:22:14.520 --> 0:22:19.180 what 9-11 meant. This is such a worthwhile project. I 0:22:19.220 --> 0:22:24.409 cannot say enough how behind this I am. how important 0:22:24.550 --> 0:22:30.310 I think it is, wisconsin911memorial. com. Mark Pizzotta, the president of 0:22:30.330 --> 0:22:32.810 the Wisconsin 9-11 Memorial, joining me here on the Dan 0:22:32.850 --> 0:22:35.690 O'Donnell Show. And, sir, you said that you sort of 0:22:35.730 --> 0:22:38.010 made this your mission. 9-11 happened when you were a 0:22:38.070 --> 0:22:41.090 young teacher. Why did you, why have you dedicated your 0:22:41.150 --> 0:22:43.869 life to this project and to this mission? 0:22:45.590 --> 0:22:48.170 Yeah, I think there's a couple of things. Number one, obviously, 0:22:48.190 --> 0:22:51.560 it's about respect, looking back at what happened during 9-11 0:22:51.910 --> 0:22:55.810 and remembering that. But honestly, for me, the inspirational part 0:22:55.869 --> 0:22:59.310 is what are the lessons that we've learned from what 0:22:59.350 --> 0:23:02.790 happened and how are we carrying that with us? For me, 0:23:02.990 --> 0:23:07.060 it's really about it's a bigger mission about inspiring service 0:23:07.760 --> 0:23:09.959 and that being an important part of who we are 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:12.439 as Americans. I mean, I think back about how we 0:23:12.500 --> 0:23:16.060 rallied together as a country, and that's inspirational for me. 0:23:16.650 --> 0:23:19.070 And for the people who come to visit, we certainly 0:23:19.130 --> 0:23:22.770 hope that they walk away being inspired and asking the 0:23:22.810 --> 0:23:27.639 question about how can I serve, whether that's military, firefighters 0:23:27.700 --> 0:23:32.100 or EMTs, volunteering for a nonprofit, joining a civic organization, 0:23:32.550 --> 0:23:35.170 could be coaching a youth team or helping out a neighbor. 0:23:35.800 --> 0:23:39.140 There's all these ways that we can help serve one another. And, 0:23:39.940 --> 0:23:41.960 you know, we always just we want to make sure 0:23:42.020 --> 0:23:45.399 that our young people are learning something here, that we 0:23:45.440 --> 0:23:48.380 want them to leave inspired to do something as well. 0:23:48.820 --> 0:23:52.380 That's right, because it's often easy to forget when you 0:23:52.500 --> 0:23:54.540 when you talk about that day, when you talk about 0:23:54.580 --> 0:23:57.000 the impact of it, the global war on terror, all that, 0:23:57.040 --> 0:23:59.680 that there is this human element to it. And that 0:23:59.720 --> 0:24:02.340 was one of the biggest things, my biggest takeaway. I mean, 0:24:02.400 --> 0:24:05.750 everybody remembers that. you know, the feeling of helplessness. I 0:24:05.990 --> 0:24:09.109 also remember I was a second year college student, a 0:24:09.109 --> 0:24:12.389 college sophomore. And I actually, I had my car on 0:24:12.430 --> 0:24:16.270 campus and I went home because I had a younger 0:24:16.310 --> 0:24:18.730 brother who was at the time, I think eight years 0:24:18.830 --> 0:24:22.070 old and wanted to, you know, sort of be with him, 0:24:22.130 --> 0:24:24.970 explain to him what was going on, which had to 0:24:24.990 --> 0:24:27.940 be very difficult to understand as a third grader. And 0:24:28.520 --> 0:24:31.619 the entire neighborhood where my mom was living at the time, 0:24:31.859 --> 0:24:35.560 they were all out at dusk with their flags out 0:24:35.600 --> 0:24:38.240 and there was a kind of an impromptu prayer service. 0:24:38.570 --> 0:24:42.930 And just for weeks and months afterwards, how there was 0:24:42.990 --> 0:24:47.889 this extreme pride in being American. But even deeper than that, 0:24:47.970 --> 0:24:51.430 there was sort of this extreme pride in being a 0:24:51.450 --> 0:24:53.300 human being and being a neighbor and being part of 0:24:53.340 --> 0:24:56.180 a community. And we really came together in a way 0:24:56.280 --> 0:25:00.300 that I dare say we might not have in the 0:25:00.300 --> 0:25:03.939 25 years since. But that's one of the big things 0:25:04.359 --> 0:25:08.460 that I think this memorial is really going to highlight. 0:25:08.700 --> 0:25:12.620 And it really is going to highlight a Kewoskum High 0:25:12.700 --> 0:25:17.480 School graduate who, on her very first business trip, this 0:25:17.840 --> 0:25:22.199 story just, it tugs at my heart every time. Andrea Haberman, 0:25:23.100 --> 0:25:26.030 who was killed in the North Tower on 9-11, it really, 0:25:26.510 --> 0:25:30.109 I think, helps to humanize for people in Kewoskum and 0:25:30.150 --> 0:25:32.669 people in Wisconsin. We're thousands of miles away from New 0:25:32.710 --> 0:25:37.110 York and Washington, D.C., But to hear her story, to 0:25:37.210 --> 0:25:40.210 to tell the story of her life and her untimely death, 0:25:40.350 --> 0:25:44.600 it really humanizes that tragedy. I think helps to bring 0:25:44.660 --> 0:25:48.659 about that sentiment like we're all human beings. We're all Americans. Yes, 0:25:48.840 --> 0:25:51.320 but we're all neighbors. We're all people. We all have 0:25:51.380 --> 0:25:53.699 our own story. So I think that's fantastic that you 0:25:53.720 --> 0:25:57.129 guys are really highlighting her as a Kewoskum native. 0:25:58.930 --> 0:26:01.909 Yeah, and I'll throw in there, too, we just unveiled 0:26:02.150 --> 0:26:06.320 a new victims memorial that, through a lot of research, 0:26:06.380 --> 0:26:09.160 we've been able to find 17 different people who had 0:26:09.220 --> 0:26:11.360 ties to Wisconsin who are victims of 9-11. 0:26:11.640 --> 0:26:12.160 Oh, wow. 0:26:12.200 --> 0:26:16.439