Former NYSE CEO: Giuliani Was the Quarterback of the Nation on 9/11

On the 14th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a day that closed the New York Stock Exchange for almost a week, former CEO Dick Grasso pays homage to heroics of first responders and credits the leadership of former mayor Rudy Giuliani for saving the lives of his entire enforcement division in the south tower and at the Exchange.

In an interview with FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo he said: “we took our instructions and I was in constant communication with an incredible human being, Rudy Giuliani, who really was the quarterback of the nation -- the nation’s soul was… tested and Rudy Giuliani rose like a beacon. He told me when I could let people leave the Exchange we had almost 5,000 people on that trading floor from the staff that we held in the building because we were very concerned that additional buildings beyond the first two towers were going to come down. Fortunately… number 7 didn’t come down until about 5:30 in the afternoon but by that time Rudy, then mayor, had given me the ok to send people home.”

Grasso is wearing a pin to honor first responders and lives lost.

“This pin signifies the 23 New York City police officers, the 343 New York City firefighters and the 37 Port Authority police officers who ran into those buildings so that 25,000 people could come out. I was blessed. I had 144 people in that south tower, my entire enforcement division and they all lived because of the heroic efforts of those incredible human beings and this is a day that we should never forget their sacrifice. We should honor and celebrate those who walked out but never forget those who didn’t go home to their families and friends,” he said.