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In a speech at Manhattan College for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani praised the first responders who gave their lives to save others as heroes, saying, “The only reason I think we get them is that God gives them to us.”
Giuliani, a 1965 graduate of Manhattan, led the city during and after the 9/11 attacks. He was the featured speaker at the Bronx college’s “We Remember 9/11 Commemorative Service” held in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. Students, alumni, and families of those who died in the terrorist attacks attended the event. Twenty alumni of the school were killed.
Giuliani began his remarks by praising his alma mater, saying, “So much of what I believe, of what I know, what I can do, was formed here at Manhattan College.”
During his personal and heartfelt reflection, Giuliani mentioned multiple times his admiration of the first responders, including those in uniformed services in the Fire Department and the Police Department. He especially recognized those who died as they tried to save others, and said, “They demonstrate the kind of love that Jesus talked about.”
He called 9/11 the defining event for this generation, saying that people are “never going to get over it, never going to forget it.” But he also added that the City of New York is resilient. Today, the city has a larger resident and tourist population, more businesses, a better economy, and twice as many people living in lower Manhattan, he said.
“We’re spiritually stronger,” he added.
Giuliani shared his memories with those who filled the chapel and took them through the horrifying and traumatic events of 9/11. He told in detail the events of the day, adding personal stories and reactions, all the while speaking from the heart and not from a script or prepared speech. He noted that 10 years ago, the country “faced a terrible act of evil.”
He said that the fact that the first responders “walked into that building when people were running out of it” showed a “tremendous demonstration of love.” He said that the first responders’ bravery “lifted the spirit of America” so that the story now told is one of resiliency and strength. He also told the students at the Lasallian college that many of the first responders were taught that self-giving love in Catholic education. “Faith was a very large part of why they were able to do what they did,” he said.
Many of the current students present at the tribute were in middle school at the time of the attack. Michael Borger, a graduate student working toward a master’s in business, was in seventh grade in Washington, D.C. He spoke with CNY outside the chapel on a sidewalk near a grassy area covered with American flags representing the lives of those who died on 9/11. Wearing an American flag pin on his suit jacket, he said he wanted to attend “to pay tribute to all who have fallen, alumni and all Americans.”
Another student, Christopher Siciliano, a senior majoring in history and government who assisted in planning the event, spoke with CNY as he placed flags into the ground before people arrived. “Seeing the sheer number of the flags puts into perspective how many people perished that day,” he said. He also noted that along the walkway were 20 larger flags, which represented the 20 alumni who died.
Anna Montalto, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, told CNY that she was there because she wanted “to see Rudy Giuliani because he is an alumnus,” adding, “and I’m a proud New Yorker.”
