THEIR FAMILIES ARE NOT
POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE FOR THE
FUND BASED ON THE UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS.
JOINING ME NOW IS ONE OF THOSE
TWO TIME SURVIVORS, JOHN FEEL, A
DEMOLITION SUPERVISOR AT GROUND
ZERO WHO SPENT 11 WEEKS IN THE
HOSPITAL AT TIME AND THIS SMING
HE
SPRING HE SURVIVED ANOTHER CLOSE
CALL.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US THIS
MORNING.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
I’M HUMBLED TO BE HERE.
ESPECIALLY ON A DAY WHERE THIS
IS A SOMBER DAY.
THIS IS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND
REFLECTION, AND ANYTHING SHORT
OF NOT TALKING ABOUT THOSE WE
LOST THAT DAY, THEN WE FAILED.
MY HEART BLEEDS FOR THOSE
FAMILIES THAT LOST LOVED ONES ON
THAT HORRIFIC DAY.
AND, YOU KNOW, I SURVIVED
GETTING INJURED ON 9/ 17/01 AND
I’M NEVER GOING TO BE THE SAME.
I SURVIVED COVID AND PNEUMONIA
IN MARCH.
I KNOW I’LL NEVER BE THE SAME.
AND I’M LUCKY.
I’M BLESSED.
BUT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE THAT ARE SUFFERING STILL,
19 YEARS LATER, AND THEN ADD THE
PANDEMIC ON TOP OF THAT, YOU
KNOW, 9/11 IS THE LONGEST DAY IN
THE HISTORY OF DAYS THAT -- IT
HASN’T ENDED.
AND WE’RE STILL SUFFERING AS A
NATION.
SO WHEN I SEE ELECTED OFFICIALS
SPEAK, AND IT -- I WANT TO
BELIEVE THEY’RE BEING GENUINE
AND SPEAKING FROM THE HEART, I
WANT TO ASK THEM WHY IT TOOK SO
LONG TO GET LEGISLATION PASSED
TO HELP AMERICANS, BECAUSE THE
TWO DON’T EQUAL UP TO ME AND I’M
NOT GOING TO PUT ON MY ADVOCACY
HAT TODAY, BUT I’M PUTTING ON MY
HUMANITY HAT TODAY, AND I’M
CHALLENGING EVERYBODY IN D.C.
AND IN THE STATE CAPITALS TO
ENSURE THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
GET TREATMENT, PROTECTION, AND
HOPE AND CONFIDENCE THEY’LL BE
TAKEN CARE OF AFTERGETTING 9/11-
AND IF THEY GET LEGISLATION
PASSED THAT WILL HELP THEM
FINANCIALLY PUT FOOD ON THE
TABLE.
>> KEEPING THAT HUMANITY HAT ON,
AS YOU DESCRIBE IT, JOHN, YOU
TALK ABOUT THE MANY PEOPLE STILL
SUFFERING.
19 YEARS LATER FROM 9/11, FROM
THE REVERBERATIONS OF THAT TACK,
THE HEALTH ISSUES, NOW WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS AS YOU TALK ABOUT.
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE
NEEDS THAT EXIST.
WHAT SPECIFICALLY DO YOU WANT TO
SEE DONE TO BETTER HELP THOSE
STILL SUFFERING 19 YEARS AFTER
THAT DAY.
>> WELL, I MEAN, THE -- WE COULD
DO A BETTER JOB IN GETTING
PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
HEALTH PROGRAM AND HELPING THEM
FILE A CLAIM.
WE DO THAT EVERY DAY WITH
LIMITED RESOURCES. THAT EVERY DA
LIMITED RESOURCES.
THE COMPENSATION PART IS RUN BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
THEY’RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
THE HEALTH CARE DEPARTMENT IS
BEING RUN BY NIASH.
YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY
WHEN THE STORY BROKE.
WHILE TODAY IS NOT THE DAY, THEY
TOOK MONEY FROM THE FDNY
SCREENING PROGRAM.
THAT’S WRONG ON EVERY LEVEL.
YES NEED TO DO BETTER.
ON SEPTEMBER 12th, THE DAY AFTER
9/11 CHARITY TRIUMPHED OVER
ANGER AND EVERYBODY CAME
TOGETHER, AND THE PRESIDENT
TOUCHED ON THIS.
BUT IT DIDN’T MATTER YOUR SKIN
COLOR, YOUR GENDER, YOUR
POLITICAL AFFILIATION, YOUR
RELIGION.
THEY KEEP SAYING EVERYBODY WAS
AN AMERICAN.
NO, EVERYBODY BECAME A HUMAN
BEING.
IT TOOK AN ACTO DEVASTATION AND
TERRORISM TO MAKE US ALL BECOME
HUMAN BEINGS.
THIS PANDEMIC SHOULD HAVE MADE
US BECOME HUMAN BEINGS AGAIN AND
TREAT EACH OTHER WITH EMPATHY
AND SYMPATHY AND LOVE THY
NEIGHBOR.
NEIGHBOR CAN’T GO TO THE STORE,
BRING NEIGHBOR FOOD.
IT’S THAT SIMILAR.
>> TALK ABOUT THAT MORE, JOHN.
YOU HAVE DESCRIBED BEFORE A FEAR
IN YOUR FIGHT WITH CORONAVIRUS
UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU’VE
EXPERIENCED SINCE 9/11.
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW
ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE THERE?
>> IT’S REAL.
IT’S NOT A HOAX.
I SPENT 11 WEEKS IN THE HOSPITAL
WHEN I GOT INJURED AFTER 9/11,
AND I WAS SCARED.
I WAS NEVER SCARED BEFORE THAT
OR AFTER THAT IN MY WHOLE LIFE
EVER.
NOTHING SCARES ME.
I’M NOT AFRAID OF DYING.
WHEN I COT COVID AND MY KNOWN
YEAH, I WAS SCARED.
I COULD NOT BREATHE.
I WAS GASPING FOR MY LIFE.
I PRAY THAT NOBODY EVER HAS TO
GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN.
I’M HERE -- I’M LUCKY.
YOU KNOW THE OLD SAYING,
EVERYBODY SAYS IT AND I’VE SAID
IT A MILLION TIMES TODAY.
THE ONLY SAYING, YOU ONLY LIVE
ONCE.
THAT’S NOT TRUE.
YOU ONLY DIE ONCE.
YOU LIVE EVERY DAY.
MAN, WE TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED
THAT COULD BE GONE LIKE THAT.
>> YOUR MESSAGE, JOHN, I THINK
IS SO IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO
HEAR, NOT JUST TODAY BUT EVERY
DAY.
I KNOW TOMORROW YOUR FOUNDATION
IS PLANNING A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO
9/11 SURVIVORS WHO ALSO HAVE
BEEN BATTLING WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS.
CAN YOU, BEFORE WE WRAP UP, TALK
ABOUT YOUR MINDSET GOING INTO
THESE TRIBUTES, NOT JUST TODAY
BUT TOMORROW AS WELL.
>> TOMORROW -- I BUILT A PARK ON
LONG ISLAND CALLED THE 9/11
REMEMBRANCE PARK AND WE READ THE
NAMES.
TOMORROW WE’LL ADD 170 NAMES TO
OUR WALL WHICH HAS 1600, 1700
NAMES ON IT NOW.
THEIR NAMES WILL BE READ OUT
LOUD FOLLOWED BY A FLYOVER.
I’VE BEEN TO 186 FUNERALS.
BEFORE 9/11 I’VE BEEN TO ONE, MY
GRANDFATHER.
FAMILIES COULDN’T AFFORD TO BURY
THEIR LOVED ONES.
WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO CALL
OURSELVES THE GREATEST NATION IN
THE WORLD IF WE CANNOT TAKE CARE
OF OUR GREATEST RESOURCES WHICH
ARE FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE
OFFICERS, EMS.
NEXT TUESDAY JON STEWART AND I
WILL GO BACK TO WASHINGTON, D.C.
AND INTRODUCE LEGISLATION FOR
THOSE AFFECTED BY THE BURN PITS
IN AFGHANISTAN AND OTHER PLACES
IN THE MID EAST.
THESE ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE THAT
DID EXTRAORDINARY THINGS THAT
PROTECTED US 24/7.
WE CONTINUE TO FAIL OUR NATION’S