|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of
Labor Elaine L. Chao
Introduction to Documentary “Up From
Zero”
Carmichael Auditorium
National Museum of American
History
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, September 9, 2003
Thank you, President Hanley, [International Union of Operating Engineers
General President Frank Hanley].
It is a pleasure to share the podium with you on this very special
occasion. You are a native New Yorker who started out with Local 15, so I know
that sharing the stories of your brothers and sisters at Ground Zero means a
great deal to you personally. I also want to recognize your son, Chris Hanley,
and thank him for everything he did to help make this documentary possible.
And I want to thank Don Carson, of the International Union of Operating
Engineers; Joe Hunt, General President of the Iron Workers; Bob Walsh of Local
40 of the Iron Workers and Frank McArdle of the General Contractors Association
of New York. Without your assistance, this documentary could never have been
made. Thank you for being here.
I also want to acknowledge some of the men and women you will meet in
this documentary who came down from New York to be with us tonight: Greg Nolan,
along with Diane and Danielle Nolan; Rick Ostrander, with Jeannie and Richard
Ostrander; Chris Pillai; Willie Quinlan, along with Bertha and William C.
Quinlan; and Hugh Smith, with Bonnie, Margaret Mary and Nicholas Smith. And
last but not least, Father Brian Jordan, the inspiring chaplain to the workers
at Ground Zero.
I want to extend a very special welcome to each of you. We are so proud
of you and what you have done for our country. We don’t have many
opportunities to personally and publicly thank
those of you on the front lines after September 11th, that’s
why we are so pleased you could be here today.
The New York City skyline was changed forever on September 11, 2001.
This documentary is a tribute to the brave men and women of the New York City
building trades who put themselves on the line that day—and for nine
months afterward—to reclaim Ground Zero. They showed the world the best
our country has to offer and reaffirmed our faith in our freedoms, our country
and ourselves.
In the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks,
thousands of members of the city’s building trades unions converged
spontaneously upon Lower Manhattan to help in the rescue, recovery and clean up
efforts at the World Trade Center.
They performed heroically, bringing order out of chaos. They worked at
great personal risk because Ground Zero was the most dangerous work site in
America. And they put their personal lives on hold in order to help reclaim
this sacred site. It is a tribute to their courage and skill that they
completed the job ahead of schedule and without serious injuries.
I visited Ground Zero, met the men and women who worked there, and
believed that their story needed to be preserved. This documentary memorializes
their patriotism, strength and determination. I’m proud that the U.S.
Department of Labor played a part in helping to tell it. Their stories are
truly inspiring.
[After the documentary ends, Secretary Chao comes back on stage and
introduces Father Jordan for the benediction.]
Before we finish this evening, I also want to thank the talented staff
of the Labor Department’s audio-visual office for their hard work in
helping to bring the stories of these men and women to the screen. You did a
great job!
And now, I can think of no better way to bring these events to a close
than by asking Father Jordan to give us a benediction.
Father Jordan…
# # #
_________________________________________________________________
| 
