NPR News

In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, KUNC presents a day of special programming from NPR News, StoryCorps, The Sonic Memorial Project, and independent radio producers and reporters nationwide. All coverage will be collected in this archive.6:00 AM – 12:00 PM: NPR Special Coverage“To mark 10 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon on September 11, NPR will air coverage leading up to September 11 and on the day itself. The overarching theme of coverage is: How has America changed? NPR will air rigorous reporting on everything from national security to politics to our culture, and also reflecting on the human toll -- the impact of September 11th on people's lives and our country. Hosted by Audie Cornish”12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: StoryCorps: We Remember“An intimate look at lives forever changed by the attacks on 9/11. These are stories from families and friends who tell us about their loved ones and their loss: the father who recalls the last words he shared with his son, the recovery worker who discovers a new meaning for normal, the fireman's daughter who knew that her dad who perished in the line of duty wouldn't have wanted it any other way. On the 10th anniversary of the attacks, host Audie Cornish checks in with StoryCorps families to find out how they make their way today.”1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Our 9/11: Growing Up in The Aftermath“WNYC's Radio Rookies and PRX, in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, looks at the 9/11 attacks through the eyes of young people who were just kids when the towers fell: a girl whose dad never returned from police duty, two families ripped apart by trauma, a Muslim girl who coped with the angry reaction to her faith, and a young man who has helped one community remember. Hosted by On the Media's Brooke Gladstone.”2:00 PM – 3:00: The Sonic Memorial Project“On the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, we re-visit The Sonic Memorial Project, which commemorates the life and history of the World Trade Center and the people who passed through its doors. A collaboration between The Kitchen Sisters Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva, PRX, NPR, independent producers, and stations and listeners nationwide, the project was created with audio artifacts, rare recordings, and the input of thousands of people who called in with their personal stories.”3:00 PM: Bob Edwards Weekend Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times joins Bob to talk about 9/11, then and now. Shortly after the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001 writer Joan Murray read her poem, “Survivors Found,” on NPR’s Morning Edition, the program Bob hosted at the time. Ten years later, she’s back to reflect on that poem, and how it helped people heal from the tragedy.4:00 PM: This American LifeTEN YEARS IN: In this show, we return to people who've been on This American Life in the last ten years, whose lives were drastically altered by 9/11, including Hyder Akbar, an Afghan-American teen who moved to Afghanistan after his father was tapped to become governor of Kunar province there; Marian Fontana, whose husband Dave was a fireman who died in the Twin Towers; and Lynn Simpson, who escaped from the 89th floor and made it out of the World Trade Center with about a minute to spare.6:00 PM: NPR Special CoverageNPR will offer live, anchored coverage of A Concert for Hope, which will be held at The Kennedy Center at 8pm ET. President Obama will speak during the concert, which will also feature performances by Patti Labelle, Alan Jackson and Denyce Graves.

Saving The Stories Of Loved Ones Lost On Sept. 11

By NPR Staff

Published September 7, 2011 at 10:01 PM MDT

"It's like the only thing on his mind was to tell the kids that he loved them, and I tell the kids this every day," Monique Ferrer says of her ex-husband.

Each year, the oral history project StoryCorps has marked the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with the voices of those directly affected by the events: wives and husbands, grandparents and friends of those who died that day.

But as StoryCorps founder Dave Isay tells Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep, the outpouring of stories about Sept. 11 initially came as something of a surprise.

"When StoryCorps started, I expected to see a lot of people come to StoryCorps who were dealing with kind of end-of-life issues," Isay says. "What I didn't expect to see were people coming to memorialize loved ones who were lost. And we saw that from the first days after StoryCorps opened eight years ago."

After seeing that StoryCorps was used so often to memorialize loved ones, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum approached StoryCorps with the idea of a partnership and "a powerful way to leave a record of these people's lives," Isay says.

That led to the current project between StoryCorps and the museum: to record one interview for each person who died on Sept. 11, 2001. So far, they've collected more than 1,200 interviews.

"We've had every sort of person," Isay says. "We've had firefighters who've never gone to therapy because they see it as self-indulgent, but come to StoryCorps because they realize they're leaving this record for future generations. And they come into the booth and cry for the first time."

Those stories have recorded the thoughts and feelings of many people touched by the attacks, from survivors who work at the Pentagon to mechanics and welders who worked in the recovery effort at ground zero. Families tell how their histories were rewritten, with the loss of a husband or a wife, a son or a daughter.

In addition to recording the unique lives of lost loved ones, Isay says, part of the goal is to "make the tragedy real and to make sure that we're always aware of what the families are going through."

"There is a lot of talk about victims' families finding closure now that we're hitting the 10th anniversary," he says. "I think that is a term that I know most victims would like to see banished from the English language when it comes to dealing with their lives. You know, there is no closure. I think that the best that we can do is remember."

Below, a one-hour special produced by StoryCorps and NPR collects some of the thoughts and feelings of those affected by the attacks:

'We Remember' — Stories From Family And Friends About Sept. 11

We Rememberoffers an intimate look at lives forever changed by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In the hourlong special, NPR's Audie Cornish talks with StoryCorps families who lost friends and loved ones to find out how they make their way today.

A list of the participants follows .In cases where their stories have aired on NPR's Morning Edition, we've included links to the original broadcast:

Alison and Jefferson Crowther discuss their son, Welles

Frankie DeVito remembers his grandfather Bill Steckman as he talks with his mother, Diana

Richard Pecorella tells about his fiancee, Karen Juday

John Vigiano Sr. remembers his sons, John Jr. and Joe

Jessica DeRubbio on her father, David DeRubbio

Jack Murray, recovery worker at New York's ground zero

John Romanowich, recovery worker at ground zero

John Yates, survivor of the Pentagon attack

Monique Ferrer, remembering her ex-husband, Michael Trinidad

The late Beverly Eckert talks about losing her husband, Sean Rooney

Elaine and John Leinung discuss their son, Paul

"We Remember" was produced by Kerry Thompson for NPR, and Dave I say and Isaac Kestenbaum for StoryCorps, in partnership with the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Saving The Stories Of Loved Ones Lost On Sept. 11

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