"teen kids news" is on now, and here's what we've got. >> reporter: we'll meet a man who transformed his dream into a national symbol of unity and strength. >> reporter: i'll show you how two plants are turned into two delicious treats. >> reporter: what puts teens in the greatest danger? the answer, coming up. and much more, next on "teen kids news." ♪

welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. here's our top story for this week. it was one of the most painful days in american history. on september 11th, 2001, al qaeda terrorists attacked the united states. it is a tragedy we won't ever forget. erika reports on a unique memorial that not only pays tribute, it actually helps to make us safer. whenever there's a loud noise, i've always been one of those people that run towards the noise, not away. that's one of the reasons i became a volunteer firefighter. >> reporter: scott koen vividly remembers the events of 9/11, the planes that crashed in washington, dc, pennsylvania and new york city. scott wanted to do something special to honor those caught up in the terrorist attacks. >> and so i developed a project called freedom plaza, which was to use the materials from the

world trade center and make a large north american bald eagle out of it on the size and scale of the statue of liberty. >> reporter: scott designed the memorial to stand where the world trade center towers had fallen. but the city of new york was already developing other plans for the site, and scott's memorial was not destined to be part of them. then, late one night, he came up with another, even more ambitious idea. >> if we were going to use steel and aluminum in an eagle. we could use the steel in a ship. >> reporter: scott was familiar with navy ships. for years he had worked at the aircraft carrier museum "uss intrepid." he presented his idea to his boss, who sent it on to the secretary of the navy. this time, scott's timing was perfect. the navy liked the idea of building a ship out of steel salvaged from the twin towers. scott was given the green light. now the real work could begin --

locating the salvaged world trade center steel. >> i called them up and i said, "i need to get some steel for a ship called 'uss new york' the navy's going to be building." and they said, "yeah, and you are?" and, no, no, i said, "i just need to get some steel for a ship. the navy wants to build a ship." and they said, "no, i can't give you any steel." >> reporter: but scott persisted, and he eventually got enough steel for the navy to use. the ship was built in a dockyard in new orleans. construction took a little over three years. in march 2008, the "uss new york" was launched. when you first saw the ship built, describe what the moment was like. >> it's kind of like what everybody says. the hair went up on the back of my head. i've always been a very emotional person, and that's basically -- the "uss new york" is built on emotion. it's recycling that emotion, taking america's worst day, and turning it into our greatest

national symbol. and i felt that as i was going in there that day, that this was something special that not only i, but, you know, the nation can rally around. >> reporter: at 684 feet, the ship is longer than two football fields. it has a crew of 360 sailors and can carry up to 700 marines. it sailed up to new york for the commissioning ceremony. as it passed the site of ground zero, the warship fired a 21-gun salute. when we return, learn about this very special ship. twist to one, for length and drama... new revlon, customeyes mascara.

reporter: on november 2nd, 2009, the "uss new york" sailed into the harbor of its namesake city for the first time. the bow of this ship is built from seven and a half tons of steel which was recovered from the world trade center after 9/11. >> the world trade center was always the symbol of new york, and now the "uss new york" becomes that symbol itself. the ship honors the victims of the 9/11 attacks as well as those who rushed to their aid, the first responders. >> there is a very special relationship between the city of new york, "uss new york," and especially the first responders. we are the first responders of the united states military. when the president needs us to go do something, when there's a situation somewhere in the world, he's going to ask where the navy is.

and we're going to be ready to go do that. >> reporter: and that's where ships like the "uss new york" play a key role. this type of warship is called an lpd. that stands for "landing platform dock." >> it's classified as an lpd because it's an amphibious ship. our job is to carry the marines to the fight and do whatever we need to do to support them. >> behind me on the ship are two landing crafts, each one capable of bringing 100 marines to shore. >> this craft is capable of transporting loads up to 60 tons at speeds up to 50 knots, which is about 62 miles per hour, and can drive over water or land. and they've been used in other operations besides transporting marines, like humanitarian operations such as katrina, and the tsunami relief in indonesia a while back. >> reporter: next stop was the flight deck. >> and up here is the second way we get marines to battle. we take them up by air. what we have up here on the

flight deck is, we have a variety of helicopters, one of which is right over here, is the huey. and right over there is the osprey. >> reporter: so can you tell us about this aircraft and how it works? >> yeah, sure. this is the osprey, the mv-22 osprey. this is an airplane that just happens to have the versatility of a helicopter. and it combines that with the speed and efficiency of a turboprop aircraft. i can land right here on the ship, take 24 combat loaded marines in the back, and as soon as i take off, i'll rotate back, and i'll transition into an airplane again. and if you want to come in, we can check out the cockpit. >> reporter: okay, let's go. >> up we go. all right, you want to hop in? yeah, just go to the left seat. there you go. so this is the cockpit. this is my office. right here is what we have as a thrust control lever. me and you both have one. the pilot can fly from this side. he can fly from the right side, vice versa.

everything is identical. >> reporter: in addition to transporting marines and supplies, the "uss new york" transports airplanes, helicopters, even tanks. wow! it's really small in there! >> reporter: the ship's primary mission is to defend our country, through the joint efforts of the navy and the marines. ♪ i feel well protected, but it's really heavy! marines such as these gentlemen behind me are trained as snipers and will be transported into battle by the "uss new york." in addition to protecting our nation, the men and women of the u.s. navy and marines have other responsibilities as well. >> what we do is, we respond to different crises, whether it's

humanitarian assistance or it's a need in a different country. when we return, "teen kids news" will continue our exclusive tour of the "uss new york."

>> reporter: we're on board the "uss new york," a new type of amphibious warship called an lpd. why are lpds considered state of the art? >> this ship has the very latest in communications equipment, and it has extremely capable sensors and weapons that make it very formidable on the battlefield. >> we're up on the bow of the ship. this is the fauxall. these chains here are the anchor chains. and we're standing right above the area of the bow where we've reclaimed 7.5 tons of steel from the world trade center, which is right at the very tip going to the water line and will steer this ship for the next 40 years. >> reporter: this ship is well

prepared for any emergency, and even includes a fully equipped hospital. but i did notice a couple of things i would have changed in the sleeping quarters. think you've got a small bedroom at home? three people sleep here, and three people sleep here. the "uss new york" is truly amazing. and now i'm on my way up to the bridge. >> you are standing right here at the helm, which indicates the speed of the ship. you have your throttle control, which is this. that makes the ship go either faster or backwards. >> reporter: wait a minute. did he say backwards? i guess that would make it easier to park. can you tell us a little about the ship's crest? >> the ship's crest is extremely symbolic of the event from 9/11. you'll see on the crest, it has the phoenix rising from the ashes, which symbolizes the first step towards kind of rebuilding and something positive coming from the

9/11 event. it also has the world trade center towers and two silver bars that stand out. and that's, of course, really special. >> reporter: before this ship was built, there was another "uss new york." it was a battleship that saw combat in world war ii. it has three stars representing the battle stars earned by the battleship for okinawa, north africa and iwo jima. why can americans be proud of this ship? >> the symbology that's clearly part of this ship. there's something that was so tragic and so horrible, and we've transformed that now, and it's part of the global force for good. >> reporter: what is the motto of this ship? >> the motto is "strength forged through sacrifice." never forget. >> reporter: throughout history, every great accomplishment begins with just an idea. scott koen provides us with a perfect example of that. >> it's kind of funny because i started out with freedom plaza, and i ended up with the "uss new york." you know, sometimes you don't

end up where you started out going for. sometimes you don't get your goal. but sometimes another door opens up along the way that's even greater. >> if you don't set your goals high, you'll never know how high you can get. if you put them high enough, even if you never get to them, you'll probably get further than you ever thought you could. >> reporter: from the captain's chair on the "uss new york," for "teen kids news," i'm erika. there's an interesting footnote to this story. on january 15th, 2009, an airplane carrying 150 people was forced to make an emergency landing on new york's hudson river. thanks to the bravery of the captain, the crew, the passengers and the rescuers, everyone on board was saved. the coast guard later paid tribute to those rescuers who were first on the scene. one of them was -- you guessed it -- scott koen.

but that's another story. >> all right, young america, we'll find out in speak of the week. >> this report is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. it's the number one killer of teens. what it is may surprise you. >> i think the number one killer of teens is drugs. >> it could be anything, like, bad choices, such as, like, drinking or smoking. >> under aged drinking. >> i think the number one kill er of teens is car accidents. >> i would say probably drinking or drugs. >> quite honestly, this is going to sound a little corny, but bad decision making is the number one killer of teens. >> just not being careful or not being aware of what you are

doing. >> driving, like driving drink or driving under the influence of a drug or just driving hazardly, like not paying attention. >> i don't know what the number one killer of teens is. >> i think the number one killer of teens is probably texting while driving. >> reporter: he's close. texting is just one example of what's called "distracted driving." that means anything that takes

want to do your best in school? listen to what natalie has to say about how to make the grade.

>> to build your vocabulary you need to persevere. p-e-s-e-v-e-r-e. it means to be constant to a purpose, even in the face of obstacles. here's one way you can persevere in the effort to learn more words on a regular basis. when you encounter a word you don't know in a book you're reading, in the newspaper, whatever, look it up. then add it to your calendar, say a week or two ahead. persevere. let me see. when that day rolls around, see if you remember what the word means. if not, look it up again. but now you're going to make it your word for the day. use it as often as possible and you will persevere in putting it into your memory. i'm natalie, persevering towards helping you make the grade. this report is brought to you by hidden valley. think veggies are boring? well, this should change your mind. are we going to make fun

faces? >> yeah! >> are you going to get super creative and do fun things on your faces? >> yeah! >> do you want me to make one, too? >> yeah! >> reporter: that's angie harmon. she's a famous actress and mom. >> i've got three little girls. two of them are great eaters who love their veggies, and one of them does not. >> reporter: so she teamed up with hidden valley's "love your veggies" campaign. >> we're launching this year "the great veggie adventure," which is unveiling these cool, unusual veggies that kids may not have heard of but we think they're going to love. >> isn't it pretty? i've never had purple cauliflower. >> reporter: its official name is "party cauliflower." there's also watermelon radishes, rainbow carrots and romanesco. >> reporter: as part of "the great veggie adventure," five schools across the country will be given seeds to grow these interesting edibles. >> kids love to be a part of what's going on with the vegetables, whether it's planting them or picking them or helping cook them. >> reporter: a taste test will then determine the winning veggie. you can learn more at loveyourveggies.com.

there are also fun recipes, nutrition tips and blogs. for "teen kids news," i'm hannah.

natalie portman snagged the oscar for her perform. reporter: four american states begin with an "a." and three of those states also end with an "a." arizona, alabama and alaska. arkansas ends with an "s," thought it sounds like a "w." go figure. when it comes to sweets, there are two fundamental camps. the people who love chocolate and the people who love vanilla. troy investigates the origins of these popular flavors. i love chocolate. i'd choose chocolate over vanilla in a second. >> i love vanilla because chocolate is always too -- i don't know what the word for it is, but i just hate chocolate. >> chocolate bars, chocolate smoothies, anything chocolate.

>> reporter: both vanilla and chocolate are derived from plants that were originally discovered by ancient indians in mexico. and both plants were coveted for their delicious fruits. but that's where the similarities between chocolate and vanilla end. to get the scoop on america's favorite flavors, we met with a teen volunteer at the new york botanical garden and an expert baker. >> my personal preference would be vanilla ice cream with hot fudge. >> reporter: rebecca spends a lot of her time explaining the difference between chocolate and vanilla to kids. >> a lot of kids that come in here start out saying that chocolate is my favorite thing in the world. usually when we give them a taste of the actual nibs, that changes a bit. the nibs themselves have a very bitter taste. it's like eating a coffee bean. >> reporter: okay, let's back up. what is a nib? and how does something bitter become something sweet? to understand the process, we have to understand the plant. >> chocolate comes from a tree

called the cacao tree and each tree has fruits growing on it. the fruits can get as big as a football, actually, and inside each fruit there's about 30 to 40 seeds. each seed is surrounded by a sweet pulp that's actually removed. the seed is where we get the chocolate from. but more specifically, it's the nibs that are inside the seed. and as you see, i break it and it breaks into a lot of small pieces. each of those small pieces is a nib, which will eventually be melted down to make chocolate. >> reporter: once the nibs are collected, they're mixed with sugar and milk to create the chocolate we think of today. but in ancient times, chocolate wasn't just used for dessert. the mayans were a group of indians that lived in what today is mexico. they thought that chocolate was so valuable that they used its seeds as currency. >> so they could go to the market and exchange their cacao seeds for whatever they needed. >> reporter: although we don't

barter chocolates for goods today, we do use it in a variety of ways. >> there's many different types of chocolate. there's unsweetened chocolate. there's semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet, milk chocolate, white chocolate. i like to use unsweetened chocolate when i'm baking cakes and cupcakes, but i would use semi-sweet chocolate to make butter cream frosting. >> reporter: but chocolate isn't just for sweet treats. >> i had a wonderful ravioli dish that incorporated bittersweet chocolate with, i think, sage and a particular type of cheese. >> reporter: if chocolate pasta sounds a little too out there to you, let's move on to the other side of this sweet story -- vanilla. >> anybody who calls vanilla plain or boring just doesn't know what they're talking about. >> reporter: ancient indians called it the nectar of the gods. vanilla comes from the vanilla orchid, a plant that requires a lot of care. >> the flower is very interesting because it's only open for pollination for about

four hours the entire season. >> so it has to be hand pollinated to ensure that it fruits. >> reporter: but how do those fruits transform from this into this? >> once the vanilla fruit is harvested, it's allowed to dry. it's cured, which is what gives it its taste and aroma. if we want vanilla extract, for example, they would allow it to ferment. and the process is what gives us the signature dark brown vanilla extract that we use in cakes and cookies and things like that. >> we use vanilla extract in almost every dessert that we prepare. but i would say that we're probably best known for our vanilla flavored cake, which is a buttercup golden, and that is just a delicious, old fashioned, remembering from mom and grandma kind of yellow cake. and that vanilla extract really, really comes trough. >> reporter: but which flavor sells the best at jennifer's shop? >> our vanilla cupcakes do outsell our chocolate cupcakes.

but we do have one that is a very prominent seller, which is our red velvet. and i think that actually incorporates the best of both, because it's considered a vanilla based cake, but it has cocoa powder in it, as well. >> reporter: since the vanilla orchid is technically a vine, it's often grown on the cacao tree. so maybe the flavors really are best when mixed together. that wraps up our show. but we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." >> thanks for joining us, and have a great week!