George Pataki on how New York responded to 9/11 and its lasting impact

Geoff Bennett:

Twenty-five years ago, George Pataki was governor of New York when the September 11 attacks transformed his state and the country.

In the hours that followed, Pataki was among those leading New York through an unimaginable crisis, as rescue efforts began in Lower Manhattan and the country confronted the enormity of what had happened.

Former New York Republican Governor George Pataki joins us now.

Thank you for being with us, sir.

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki (R-NY):

Thank you, Geoff. Nice being on.

Geoff Bennett:

Take us back to that moment 25 years ago. What do you remember most vividly about that morning and all that transpired?

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki:

Well, the first is the shock. It was a beautiful day. We were at peace, and all of a sudden it was clear we were under attack.

And that was just something no one could have anticipated. And then, of course, the next thing is when the towers came down. That was also something that I don't think anyone anticipated. And you immediately understood the horror, the loss, the magnitude of the lives that had been murdered that morning.

And it was just something that it was impossible to prepare for, but there was no choice but to spring into action right away.

Geoff Bennett:

And you recently shared that you're living with a respiratory illness connected to your time at Ground Zero. Can I ask, how's your how's your health? How are you doing?

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki:

You know, Geoff, I'm fine. And I really am.

And I feel so badly for -- there are thousands of people who really have serious illness, cancers and other very significant illness from breathing that toxic air. And I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I still feel great. Yes, I have some minor lung issues, but hopefully they won't be too problematic going forward.

Geoff Bennett:

Yes, as you rightly point out, that experience is shared by thousands of first responders and recovery workers and other people who lived in that area who have become sick since 9/11.

It raises the question, what does the government owe to the people who put their health and their lives at risk when the country asks them to show up?

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki:

Well, first of all, we were told the air was safe. I mean, I remember that unequivocally. And having spent many, many days and hours at Ground Zero, the air was clearly horrible. You could see the dust from river to river. You could see smoke everywhere and paper and ash flying all over.

But we were told it was not toxic, it was safe, and we acted accordingly. What really troubles me, Geoff, is that there were thousands of people working on that pile, the burning mass of twisted steel, trying to save lives and then trying to get us back to normal.

And the whole country looked at them as heroes, and they were, standing on this burning and smoldering debris for weeks to try to allow us to begin to move forward. And they inspired a country with their courage.

And now it's our turn. It's our obligation as Americans to stand with them and do whatever they need to make sure we meet their health requirements. And there has been progress made. The federal government has a good program. I just want to make sure everything that can be done to save lives and to help those suffering is done by our government.

Geoff Bennett:

Of all the people you encountered in those initial days and weeks, is there someone you still think of?

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki:

There's so many people I think of, and the family members.

We all 25 years later have a tremendous sense of loss and think of the friends and people that we knew really well who died that day. But then, at Ground Zero on September 11, you will see the family members holding the pictures 25 years later of their loved ones. And when you have lost a son or a daughter, a father or mother, the pain 25 years later is any not any less.

There's still this tremendous void. So those family members who responded so courageously, they really did stand up and help us get through that, inspired me then, and they inspire me to this day.

Geoff Bennett:

You helped oversee the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan amid what was then an enormous debate about what should rise from the place where nearly 3,000 people were killed; 25 years later, you walk through Lower Manhattan now, it is a vibrant residential and commercial community.

What strikes you the most when you go back down there?

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki:

Well, Geoff, I will tell you, I'm really proud of what we have done to bring Lower Manhattan back.

You said there was a lot of emotion around Ground Zero. That's a dramatic understatement. Virtually everyone in an America had an opinion as to what should be done at that site, and very strong opinions, particularly among family members and firefighters and people who had lost loved ones.

And so we just had to work very hard to come up with an intelligent master site plan that allowed the rebuilding of the 10 million square feet of office space that had been lost, so that Lower Manhattan could be a viable economic center, but also at the same time to preserve that sacred ground, the footprints where the towers had stood, the plaza around where the other buildings had stood, and to honor the memory of those we lost that day.

And I think we have done that very well. Where the towers stood, there are now voids, so you can see the physical magnitude of what was lost. And around those you have the names of every single person who was killed that day. And below that, we have the museum telling their individual stories.

So we can show the magnitude of the loss. We can show the courage of New Yorkers. And then right next to it is the tallest building ever built in the Western Hemisphere, 1,776 feet tall. And I'm proud that, when we decided to rebuild, we said we're not going to just build what was there, we're going to rise above it. And we have done that 25 years later.

Geoff Bennett:

As we mark this milestone 25 years, it strikes me that so much memory can become ritualized, the names, the bells, the moments of silence.

What are we in danger of forgetting, even as we promise never to forget?

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki:

Yes, the first thing is that we do forget.

You think of Pearl Harbor, and that was a horrible day in American history and had enormous consequences, the beginning of World War II. And yet, yes, on December 7, people will stop and recognize it, but very few. And I fear that people are going to forget what happened on September 11, the courage we showed, the loss that we suffered.

But I fear more, Geoff, that we're going to see people distorting that history. We already do, someone like Hasan Piker saying we deserve those attacks. This is utter nonsense. We were at peace. Three thousand people went to work that day on a beautiful fall day, and most of them were murdered. And they weren't murdered by accident.

It was a calculated attack by Islamic jihadists. And that's not to criticize Islam. It's to criticize crazy people of whatever faith who would engage in terrorist and violent acts like this. And I fear that not only might be forgotten, but it might even be distorted.

Geoff Bennett:

Former New York Republican Governor George Pataki, thank you for your time and for your insights this evening, sir. We appreciate it.

Fmr. Gov. George Pataki:

Thank you, Geoff.