Rudy Giuliani

Although the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., was also attacked by the terrorists on September 11, New York City and its residents bore the brunt of the attacks. Thousands of New Yorkers were killed and the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the very symbol of New York for three decades, were nothing more than rubble.

New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani immediately stepped forward and was a strong leader for his city. He often appeared at Ground Zero, the site where the towers once stood. At a citywide prayer service held at Yankee Stadium shortly after the attacks, he offered words of comfort. In his prayer, excerpted below, Giuliani praises all the victims of the attacks, especially the rescuers who died while trying to save others. He also tells the story of a small chapel near the...