9/11 victim's kin on bin Laden: "No closure"
For relatives of 9/11 victims, the news of the killing of Osama bin Laden marked a new chapter in the healing process -- but it certainly doesn't end that process for them.
On "The Early Show" Monday, co-anchor Erica Hill spoke with Lauren Meisenheimer and John Cartier, who both had relatives who died in the World Trade Center attacks.
Special Section: Death of Osama bin Laden
Cartier lost his brother, James Cartier, who was working on the 105th floor of the South Tower when the second plane hit. Meisenheimer was 14 years old when she lost her father, Ray Meisenheimer, a New York City firefighter.
Cartier said when he learned bin Laden had been killed, he felt like he was on "an emotional roller coaster."
"It's been a long time coming," he said. "And we've been waiting for this day since September 11th. Osama bin Laden being the perpetrator, the mastermind, the money man, going after them was number one on our list. You know, my brother, James, lost his life (at Ground Zero), along with 2,796 people. And, you know, taking him down was key for me personally."
Meisenheimer said she didn't expect this whatsoever.
"I was shocked," she said. "... What needed to be done was done, and the troops did it amazingly."
But she added the death doesn't really help their grief.
"It doesn't bring anybody back," she said. "There's no closure. I mean, it's the same as yesterday, only today he's dead."
Cartier added, "It allows us, also, to transition to a different level of thought. You know, we now know that this man will never hurt another American again. Anybody in the world. I mean, this guy he perpetrated crimes against human beings, didn't matter who you were, what country you were from. Whether you were an American or from England, so, it -- there is a level of comfort knowing that our boys went in there, nobody got hurt. That's key. None of our guys got hurt. And that he will never again be able to mastermind even going to the bathroom."
At Ground Zero, from where large parts of "The Early Show" were broadcast Monday, Cartier said he loves the patriotism displayed.
"It's awesome," he said. "... Everybody's happy that this man is now gone. You know, we're united here. We're united against terrorism. We're united against anybody who would go and want to do and act like this again. You know, whatever it takes to protect our country. And it's nice to see the flags out. I mean, my flag is in front of my house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And it's not a little flag. It's a big flag. So, you know, I'm glad to see the flags out. I'm glad to see the people. And you know, again, we appreciate you allowing us to put a face to today. My brother James, he was 26. You know, just going to work. You know, it's just another to let people know who they were."