honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, April 9, 2003

Teens tell of 9/11 tragedy

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

A group of students from Niu Valley Intermediate School listened quietly yesterday as Brad Smith and Peter Milano of New Jersey recalled the events of 9/11, when their fathers lost their lives in the World Trade Center attack.

Brad Smith, left, and Pete Milano, both 17, spoke with some Niu Valley Intermediate students about losing their fathers in the attacks on the World Trade Center. The two are in town filming a documentary series.

Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I don't mind talking about it, because it's therapeutic in a way," said Brad. He and Peter, both 17, shared memories of their fathers, who worked for bond brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

The high school juniors are in Hawai'i to tape footage for a documentary television series they're producing. The show, scheduled for broadcast in November, will feature the teens' efforts to stage a September concert and music workshop in New Jersey for families affected by 9/11 and other traumatic experiences. The project is being paid for by corporate and private sponsors.

The concert will focus "on the healing power of music," Peter said.

On Monday, the boys interviewed Taimane Gardner of 'Aina Haina, a 14-year-old Niu Valley student who will perform with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and Vanessa Carlton at the concert.

Taimane has been singing and playing her 'ukulele since she was 5 years old, and is working on putting together a contemporary album. She performs on the sidewalks of Waikiki, giving what she earns to homeless people. Her manager, Michael Attardi, introduced her to the show's executive producer, Rick Korn.

"Taimane is going to represent the state," said Korn, who accompanied the teens on the trip. "We think she's just the greatest."

Taimane called the concert a wonderful idea.

"It's a way for people to come together ... and the music is going to help people," she said.

Brad and Peter wanted to visit some of Taimane's classmates yesterday "to be able to tell their stories to children ... who are the furthest from where the Trade Center is in the United States," Korn said.

The group also visited Pearl Harbor Monday to interview World War II veterans for their show.

"There are some similarities between Pearl Harbor and 9/11 from an emotional standpoint," Korn said. "... I had the same feeling being at Pearl Harbor that I have when we go down to Ground Zero.

"There's a certain peacefulness to it that is indescribable, and I think it was important from the standpoint of the documentary to bring these Pearl Harbor veterans ... back to these children in New York and New Jersey and share that with the rest of the world."

Peter goes home today, but Brad and Korn will stay until Thursday, capping their trip with a visit to the State Capitol. Sen. Carol Fukunaga, D-11th (Ala Moana, Makiki), will present congratulatory certificates to the teens; Taimane will accept on Peter's behalf.

"It was really to kind of celebrate and recognize their efforts," Fukunaga said. "Putting something together as teenagers to really build upon their experiences and have the original experience turn into something positive, it's a real celebration of the human spirit."

Brad believes that undertaking a project like theirs "means so much to so many people. And it's so helpful to me, helping others."

Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.