>> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more. ♪ midco supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. coming up on c-span, live coverage from new york, the pentagon and shanksville,

pennsylvania as we mark the 20th anniversary of the september 11 terrorist attacks, but first, your phone calls and tweets. host: that was the scene a few minutes ago at the pentagon and arlington, virginia, across the river from washington, the american flag being unfurled at sunrise. the pentagon is one of the three locations where terrorists attacked the u.s. 20 years ago today. along with the pentagon, ground zero in new york is another significant spot associated with 9/11. this morning, president biden will visit ground zero in lower manhattan and he travels to shanksville, pennsylvania to visit the flight 93 memorial. also there, former president

bush and former vice president cheney. then the president travels back to washington to commemorate the attack on america. c-span will be alive throughout the day at the memorial offense at all of these sites. we want to hear from you this morning. many of us remember where we were, what we were doing and how we learned about the attacks 20 years ago, even what the weather was like. we want to hear your story 20 years later. here is how you can participate. 202 is the area code for all of our numbers. (202) 748-8000 for those in east and central time zones. (202) 748-8001 mountain and pacific time zones. if you are watching us internationally this morning, we want to hear from you as well. (202) 748-8002 is the number for you. here is a fourth number for text messages only --(202) 748-8003.

again, that is for text messages. tell us your story 20 years later. include your first name and your city. finally, you can also contact us via social media, twitter, facebook, instagram. @cspanwj is our handle. we will be getting to those calls in a few minutes. also joining us is greta brawner. >> let's begin with the timeline. at 8:00, the american flight strikes the north tower. 9:03 am, the united flight strikes the south tower. 9:37 a.m., the american flight 77 strikes the pentagon.

flight 93 crashes in pennsylvania. at 8:28 a.m., the north tower collapses. president bush learned of the terrorist attacks that morning while visiting a school. he addressed the nation that day and then, the next day, he also spoke to the country after he met his cabinet and vowed the u.s. would strike back. here is a little bit of what he had to say. [video clip] >> we received the latest intelligence updates. the deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror. they were acts of war. this will require the country to unite in steadfast determination and resolve. freedom and democracy are under attack.

the american people need to know we are facing a different enemy than we have ever faced. this enemy hides in shadows and has no regard for human life. this is an enemy who prays on innocent and unsuspecting people and runs for cover. but it won't be able to run for cover forever. this is an enemy that tries to hide, but it won't be able to hide forever. this is an enemy that thinks it is safe, but they won't be safe forever. this enemy attacked not just our people but also people everywhere in the world. the united states of america will use our resources to conquer this enemy. we will rally the world. we will be patient, we will be

focused and steadfast in our determination. but it will take time and resolve. but make no mistake about it, we will the vin. -- we will win. we are conducting business but not business as usual. we are on a heightened security alert. america is going forward and, as we do so, we must remain keenly aware of the threat to our country. those in authority should take appropriate precautions to protect our citizens. we will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms. this morning, i am sitting to conquer stay request for emergency funding authority so that we are prepared to spend whatever it takes to rescue

victims, help the citizens of new york and washington, d.c. respond to this tragedy, and to protect our national security. i want to thank the members of congress for their unity and support. america is united. the free nations of the world stand by our side. this will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil, but goodwill prevail. -- good will prevail. thank you. host: that was on september 12, 2001. 20 years later, we want to hear your reaction, your story, what you remember about 9/11. here is how you can contact us. (202) 748-8000 for those of you in the east and central time

zones. the area code is 202. (202) 748-8001 for those of you in the mountain and pacific time zones. internationally, (202) 748-8002. you can also text us with your story. (202) 748-8003. make sure to include your first name and your city if you would. first up, we hear from sue in flat rock, indiana. what do you remember? caller: i was at home watching the today show, and i saw that they had sent their cameraman out on the street after the first plane had hit the first tower and it was smoking and they had talked about it

probably was a bad accident, a terrible accident, and then, when the second plane went through the second tower, completely through it, it exploded, i got up and went in the bedroom. my husband was at home asleep. i woke him up and i told him he had to get up. the terrorists were in our country and they were killing our people. he got up, came in the living room, was watching it, and he said to me at that time, well, those buildings will not collapse. he had read how it was built, the towers were built, and he said they were built to withstand this kind of pressure and this kind of heat. and he was mistaken, of course, and he was just dumbfounded.

extremely sad. we both were extremely said. it was a beautiful day. no humidity, sun shining, a light breeze. and i remember standing outside later on and looking up at the sky and thinking, my lord, how could this happen? host: how do you think you have changed in the last 20 years or the country has changed? caller: well, i remember the country coming together. i had never seen so many flags displayed after 9/11. i mean, it was like loaded down with flags. practically everybody had these flags flying united and that's not the way that it is now, unfortunately, and sadly it is not like that today, but i would

like to say that my mother, god rest her soul, the day that pearl harbor was attacked, my mother remembered that date and each time it would come around, each year, she would reminisce and tell us kids what she was doing at that time when it was being attacked, pearl harbor. and now, i didn't think much about it. i was a child. now i think about it and reflect upon it. pearl harbor became my 9/11. host: that is sue from flat rock, indiana. greta brawner has the headlines from that day. >> let's start with a new york city paper. the headline read "u.s. attacked.

hijacked jets strike pentagon and towers in day of terror." the new york post put out a special edition that afternoon. "acts of war," they wrote. the new york daily news also. "it is war" was there headline. -- was their headline. the boston globe with the headline "a new enemy." usa today calling it an act of war the next day. the washington post -- "terrorists hijacked four airliners to destroy the world trade center and pentagon. hundreds are dead." you see at the bottom circled in highlighter. this is the washington post

saying the evidence is pointing to the osama bin laden network. from the detroit free press, "america's darkest day." the indianapolis star, "day of death." a special edition of the san francisco examiner, "pastor -- bastards" is all they wrote. caller: in the experience, it was a little different. we were so far away. you could not be further away. when it happened, it was morning. i was rushing to get to work. nothing shut down. our highways did not shut down. everybody got to work.quite

frankly , it was going on through the whole day. we had news reports. we had a tv up in the lounge where i worked. it was not until i got home, until i saw that playing cut into the building, that it happened. and of course, you know, in hawaii, we have this parallel of paro -- of pearl harbor, like the lady before me talked about, so the parallels were suddenly felt. you know, we knew what was going on, it just took a little time because of the distance. distanced mattered, but you know, we are the 50th state. it continues to be a sad day. we cannot forget what happened here.

and just the parallels between pearl harbor and this day, it just burns in your mind. host: have you ever talked with a pearl harbor survivor, somebody who was there that day and heard them compare the attacks? caller: my grandfather saw the fires at pearl. oddly enough, most of the military, it was all hands. my grandfather worked for a professional city and county government. they had everyone doing something. you know, these tragedies, they have so many facets. it is mostly tragedy, but, you know, you wonder why people do this. it is not about race or anything.

it is about confronting evil. why did this come about? i wish we could not have these anymore, but it is going to happen again, but we need to do more to mitigate and make it not happen again. no more pearl harbors, no more 9/11s. host: that is jason in honolulu. thank you. on your screen is the western portion of the pentagon that was destroyed and rebuilt to match the rest. there will be a ceremony there today and in lower manhattan. the president will be there today and will travel to shanksville, pennsylvania, joined by former president bush and former vice president cheney. the present will be back here in

the washington area at the pentagon to commemorate that attack. robert, washington, d.c. hi, robert. caller: good morning. we were sitting right across the street from c-span, north of the capitol. we were waiting on a job that morning. we got a standdown order. we did not know exactly what was going on. we just set out in front of c-span. -- k street, the white house and things like that. we heard a second explosion. the pentagon was at least 42

blocks away from where we were. where we were come across the street from c-span, we heard another exposure. we did not know exactly what it was, but i would like to make some clarification on the second building that was hit, the second tower. they showed on youtube, they showed a newscast. the second building was actually hit by a missile. it happened right on camera and nobody saw that. host: that is robert in washington, d.c. the pentagon was hit at 9:37 and you could see the smoke from c-span studio when that happened. amar, california.

hi. caller: how are you doing? host: how are you? caller: pretty good. i will tell you where i was on 9/11. i got up at 520 that morning, wash my face, brushed my teeth. i was watching the news on kabc tv, channel seven, in los angeles. then i saw the first plane attack. i saw the first plane go into the world trade center. around 8:52, i saw charles gibson and diane sawyer cutting away from local news to abc news at that time, and when i saw the second plane hit, i knew we were

attacked and it reminded me of the challenger disaster, pearl harbor, dj, john f. kennedy's assassination, and it reminded me of munich in 1972 when the israeli athletes were killed. i was not born. i was born in 1976, the year we celebrated our bicentennial. host: isn't it amazing how you remember every detail of that day, and of the morning prior? caller: yes. i remember. in 1986, i was 10 years old. i remember the challenger exploded. i was in elementary school in the san fernando valley when the challenger disaster happened. we were told by teachers something like that. 15 years later, i was in

hawthorne when the attacks happened. and when covid-19 happened, in the inland empire. i was born in 1976, when the bicentennial celebration happened. host: we are going to leave it there. you can see people arriving at the pentagon for one of the commemorations there. what does greta have for us? >> headlines from across the country, beginning with the new york times. the shanksville headline -- a field of flags for all the fallen. this is the staten island advance. "20 years later and they lift the names of the staten islanders who died -- they list the names of the staten island

or's who died that day." the tampa bay times -- "9/11 -- failed to -- fell to ruin." from the las vegas sun, "what does it mean to never forget?" from the hartford current, "we mourn, we remember." the memorial will be lit this evening. and the star out of alabama "we remember 9/11." the denver post, "it is still raw in our minds and hearts."

host: as greta said, a great question for you to answer. what does it mean to never forget and always remember that type of thing? within that, we want to hear your story from 20 years ago, where you were, what you remember, how it changed you. (202) 748-8000 for those of you in the eastern and central (202) 748-8001 (202) 748-8001 time zones, mountain and pacific .internationally, dial (202) 748-8002. finally, we have a text line set aside for text messages only at (202) 748-8003. tell us your story from 20 years ago.

anthony is in miller place, new york. what do you remember? caller: i had a close relationship with an air traffic controller who handled the first flight. it was reported instantly as soon as the plane left the runway that the plane had been hijacked. they recorded what was experienced by the controllers. if you go to a new york times article from may 7, 2004, you see that a tape by an air traffic controller made on 9/11 was destroyed. there was a french protester protesting land mines who got caught on the torch of the scribble of liberty. they scrambled jets. host: what do you remember about

20 years ago today? caller: i remember that everything seemed dubious. they destroyed what was recorded. there was a standdown order to the air traffic controller. host: this is kurt in akron, ohio. how did you find out 20 years ago what happened? caller: well, that week -- first, the weather. excuse me. it is hard to talk about this. weather all across the conical united states was a beautiful blue -- the continental united states was a beautiful blue sky if everybody were members. -- everybody remembers. we were heading out of town for my sister's wedding.

we were talking presidential politics for 2004, if al gore and george bush would have a rematch. my mother came out and said a plane just hit the world trade center. but what i called about, the one story that sticks out is my grandmother from logan, iowa i was supposed to fly out for my sister's wedding that thursday before the rehearsal dinner, and as you remember, president bush grounded all commercial airlines, so my father and grandmother discussed it and decided she was not going to come to the wedding on saturday because my dad did not have time to get to iowa and back before the rehearsal. so my dad's best friend from childhood, who was coming from the same area as my grandmother, call my dad and asked.

my dad stated the discussion they had. he said, call your mom back up and tell her, if she wants, we are leaving 6:30 in the morning tomorrow morning. if you wants to go with us, she is welcome. there is no reason for her to miss and her granddaughter's wedding. host: did 9/11 at a somber note to that wedding? caller: well, what happened was, of the guests, only seven could not make it. we tried our best to not think about 9/11 that day because it was my sister's wedding and we wanted to make it more about her and not 9/11. host: this is steve in st. louis. what do you remember from 20 years ago? caller: thank you for taking my call. i was a federal employee working

. we had about 3000 employees at that time in the building. i was in a management meeting and we were called out. everybody was told go back to your desk immediately or your office. i did not know what was going on. we had a tv in one of our break rooms. people were flooding over there saying what was going on. i would say within an hour we were told every -- told, every employee in that building, to evacuate for security reasons, of course. everybody got out. all i remember, coming home, i was all by myself. my kids were at school. my wife was still working. sitting on the sofa. i am looking at a different sofa now of course.

but i was in shock. i was in total shock. host: have you ever visited ground zero in new york in the last 20 years? caller: no, but i was fortunate enough to be in new york city in 1988 for business stuff. i went to the twin towers come as i traveled everywhere to see everything. i did not go inside it but i touched it. it may seem crazy to remember that, but i was just in awe of the size of the towers. looking straight up. i was in awe. that is a memory i still have. it may be a little memory, but i still remember that i touched but i still remember that i touched. i still cannot believe this happened.

that is all i have to say. thank you. host: thank you. donald rumsfeld, who just passed recently, was the defense secretary on 9/11, 2001. he sat down on our q and a program on 9/11. >> i want to ask you about the tory clark story on the day of 9/11. you had been rescuing people. you had been at the pentagon until 11:00 at night. she asked if you could call your wife. do you remember this? >> i do. i was out for a very short period of time. i helped out briefly and got back to my office. i do. i don't know what time it was. 10:30? >> yeah. >> we had a tough day and the country had had a tough day.

hundreds, indeed, thousands of people killed. the building was smoking in burning and still full of people. the charred remains of the area where the plane hit our building. in the office, i wanted to keep the building open. i did not want the terrorist to shut us down. we were trying to see if that would be possible. that is the moment she looked at me and said, have you called? i said no. and she blurted out not mr. secretary, not sir, she just blurted out you son of a bitch, and it was a stunner. i probably said you have a point. i talked to joyce about that soon, my wife.

she said it never crossed her mind -- we had been married 46 years or something -- she says she knew where i was. i was there with a bunch of defense attaches getting a briefing. she did not have any doubt in her mind that i had things i had to do. host: that was former secretary rumsfeld reminiscing about 9/11. that was from 2011 that he spoke about that. back to your calls, stories 20 years later. joseph in santa barbara, california. hi, joseph. caller: it is interesting. i have been watching since the very beginning and you are the first person i think i have ever talked to, but i have not called in a long time.

i was booked on flight 11 and i changed my flight because my mother was very sick. she was in hospice, and so i remember being in her room when that plane hit the towers. it did not even occur to me that i was booked on that flight at the moment. and i thought -- i was just, like everybody else, stunned sitting there in my mother's room and thinking about, you know, all the poor people who died. and also thinking about -- i am a pilot myself, and, of course, most of us would rather be in

the cockpit rather than flying as a passenger, so i am comfortable with flying, but it is -- so every time i think about that, i think about the fact that my mother saved my life that day. host: and flight 11 came out of boston. is that correct? caller: yes. host: and are you a commercial pilot? caller: i am. i am retired now. 1941. actually, i ended up flying helicopters in boston for quite a while with a company called air general. we used to fly a shuttle flight from businesses into the airport. so it is hard to -- it is really

hard to forget that day and one of the saddest days of my life. host: joseph, thanks for sharing that memory with us. greta brawner, what do you have? >> to remind us of the many lives lost that day, take a look at the numbers. in new york city, when the towers were struck, the deaths at the world trade center were 2606 at ground zero, 87 aboard flight 11, 84 aboard flight 175. at the pentagon, 59 died aboard the flight. in shanksville, pennsylvania, when those passengers brought down flight 93, there were 40 people aboard. it was also the most first responders lives lost in history

that day. this is from abc. there were 2700 53 who died at the world trade center. 344 where firefighters -- 344 were new york city flight -- city firefighters. cbs had this headline this week. 29/11 victims identified nearly 20 years after the attack. and this from their reporting. it has been nearly two decades since september 11, two thousand one and just 60% of the people who died that day have been identified.

-- 2.8 million tons of debris. the total cost of the cleanup, $750 million. the economic impact of that day from cnn. $500,000 is the estimate of how much it cost to plan and execute the attacks. 123 billion dollars the estimated economic loss for the first two weeks after the towers collapsed in new york city. $60 billion is the estimated cost of the damage to the world trade center and including infrastructure. $40 billion is the amount of the package approved by congress on

september 14. and 15 billion, a package passed by congress to bail out airline companies. during those frantic hours after the order to ground the fleet was issued, controllers rerouted at least 1500 flights. they landed 48 plans on average each minute. host: the transfer section -- the transportation secretary shut down the air traffic for the country quickly. live picture of the pentagon. people starting to file in for the commemorative ceremony there and filing also into ground zero in new york. we will be at those. president bynum will appear at ground zero first. from there, he will go to shanksville, where he will join george w. bush at a commemoration the. he will close his day here in

washington at the pentagon. as we go live to these events, we want to hear your voices, your stories 20 years later. (202) 748-8000 for those of you in the east and central time zones. (202) 748-8001 for those of you in the mountain and pacific time zones. internationally, (202) 748-8002. we would love to hear your perspective as well. finally, if you want to send a text message with your story about 20 years ago, (202) 748-8003. please include your first name and city. back to your calls. stephanie in milwaukee, good morning to you. caller: good morning. i had a little different experience. i had traveled the day before and was sleeping in, and my

mother called and woke me up. i was a little perturbed with her for waking me up, but she said you have to turn on the tv. i am like, what is going on? she is like, i cannot explain it. you have to turn on the tv. so i get up and turn on the tv. of course, the first plane had already hit the tower. i could not actually believe what i was seeing. and then, within a couple of minutes, the second plane hit and i just remember being terrified with the devastation that i was witnessing and thinking about all the people and trying to think, do i know people who work there? i have so many friends in new york. is there anybody -- you know, and i had been in that area before and i had been downtown

there and i was just trying to picture the area and then the worst possible thing, which i did not think was even possible based on what i was watching, was watching the towers come down. i just -- i think, for me, and i don't have anybody in my life who has the pearl harbor piece, but i definitely feel like it was one of those experiences. host: stephanie, were you in milwaukee 20 years ago, and did it feel different to be in the middle of the country than to be on the east coast? caller: no, because i had traveled to new york so many times. it is one of my favorite cities to travel to. you know, i am very comfortable there, and so -- i am not a new

yorker. i would never claim to be, but i felt -- i feel like one of my special places was under attack, and our country was under attack, and you know, i did not know what was going to happen next. there was such a, you know, such an incredible helpless feeling. host: did you spend most of the day with the tv that day? caller: i did not, which the exception of using the restroom, i was watching the television the whole day. host: that was stephanie in milwaukee. tom in malibu, california, good morning to you, tom. caller: thank you. i was laying in bed.

the radio was on from the night before. i was sort of in a twilight zone hearing the music. and i heard the interruption of a plane striking the tower in new york and i thought, my god, that's horrible. it woke me up a little bit. i turned down the tv and got a shot across the bay of the second plane going into the tower. i saw the second plane hit the tower and it was like it disappeared into the side of the tower. i stayed and watched everything. i wanted to do something. i didn't know what to do. i was shocked. amid everything happening, i went to the corner store and bought a flag for the window of my car, went back and put it in. the images are still very clear.

host: were you in california at the time? caller: yeah. i was in malibu. it was early morning, light. everything was peaceful and quiet. and i was watching that on tv and shocked. i still remember and it still has a place in my heart. i will never forget it. host: like i asked stephanie in milwaukee, did you feel somewhat removed being clear across the country? caller: no. i did not. i was so mentally plugged into the tv it was like i was there. i was shocked at what was going on. i watched -- i think they switched over just about the time the plane had hit the pentagon and i saw the fire and everything. i saw the people in the suits carrying other people on

stretchers out of the pentagon. and there was a hole where the flag is i believe. yeah, it is very -- a very personal thing. i am a vietnam vet and it was unbelievable. and it is unbelievable today. i'm not real happy about the whole thing. host: tom in malibu, thanks for calling in and sharing your memory. then-president bush was in florida at a school when he learned about what was happening. his chief of staff, here are some of his memories. [video clip] >> is the president was getting ready to walk into this classroom filled with very young students, second graders, and a pool of press gathered to the

back, just before the principal open the door, one of the staffers from national security council staff came up to the group gathered at the door and said, mr. president, it appears a small twin engine prop plane crashed into one of the towers at the world trade center. the reaction was, what a horrible accident. the pilot must have had a heart attack or something. the principal opened the door to the classroom. the president went in with the principal. the doors shut. that same staffer came to me and said it appears it was not a small prop plane. it was a commercial jetliner. my mind flashed to the fear that must have been experienced by the passengers. you had to know the plane was not going up. a nano second later, that same staffer came to me and said oh my gosh -- he did not say gosh

-- another plane hit the towers at the world trade center. i then knew it was not an accident or a coincidence. i performed a test that chiefs of staff have to perform all the time. does the president need to know? i made the decision -- it wasn't that hard of a decision -- but, yes, he needs to know. what do i tell him? i decided to make one editorial, and do nothing to invite a question. i opened the classroom and it was unfamiliar for me to enter a venue the president had already entered. i looked up and i saw in compton -- anne compton in the press pool. she spotted me. the teacher -- i think her name was sandra daniels -- was speaking to the class. anne muttered to me, and i said

-- and she said. there was a break in the conversation. i walked up to the president and i leaned over and whispered in his right ear "a second plane hit the second tower. america is under attack." i did not stay in the classroom long. i thought the president reacted in the right way because he did nothing to introduce fear to those young kids, nothing to demonstrate fear to the press c orps, to the satisfaction of terrorists, and then i left, i said, get the motorcade around, the crew back on air force one, get lines of communication open to the fbi director, the

situation room, condoleezza rice, the secretary of defense, prepare words for the president, get words ready about leaving the classroom, so i went into operational mode right after i left the president sitting in the classroom. host: the president was whisked back onto air force one and flown to an air force base -- a military base in louisiana. from there, to nebraska and then back here at about 6:00 p.m. to washington, d.c. on a helicopter. on your screen, three live pictures. former george pataki at ground zero. he was governor of new york at the time of the attack. the pentagon, where the flag was unfurled at sunrise. and shanksville, pennsylvania, the flight 93 memorial also on your screen.

we go live to all three of those menus at some point today when events start happening. in the meantime, we want to hear your voices. lydia, flemington, new jersey, what do you remember from 20 years ago? caller: i remember waking up to an absolutely gorgeous day in florida about 10 miles from cape canaveral. it was my brother's birthday. he had just started a new job in what would later become homeland security. i had the tv on. i was getting ready to call him to wish him a happy birthday. and i saw the first tower was in flames. i was in shock. i was home alone. my husband worked in savannah, georgia for grumman designing a new airplane.

by the time the second plane hit the second tower, i knew we were under attack, so i called back my brother and instead of telling him happy birthday, i told him turn on the tv. he asked why. i told him turn on the tv. i hung up and called my husband in savannah and i said, do you have the tv on in your office? he said no. i said turn on the tv. he said, why? i said just turn on the tv. i was in my bedroom shaking alone. i went next door to my neighbors, knocked on the door. i said, turn on the tv. we sat on the couch holding hands staring at the tv, and i told her this is osama bin laden. she said, how do you know? i said i just know.

we sat and held hands with tears running down our face and i said washington is next. not long after that, they hit the pentagon. we just sat there, held hands and cried throughout the day and that beautiful, gorgeous day that was my brother's birthday turned into a nightmare. host: that is renee in clementon, new jersey. this is allison in washington. good morning -- caller: good morning. on that day of 9/11, i was up hunting, packed in in the mountains here in washington state. there was no cell phone, power or anything there. i did not even know about it for a week. i had no idea. i am driving home late at night and i turn on the radio and i was in total shock that this could happen and i didn't even

know about it. i was panicked. i was scared. i drove right to my parents house, picked up my son, came back home, left the truck and trailer, loaded up, packed up things, and if anything else was to happen, my son and i were going to take off and go to a place that was safe, but the point is how quickly things can happen and you are not even aware of it. i was in shock. i did not even know. host: when you first turned on the radio in the car after a week, what did you think? caller: first, i was in disbelief. then i got scared. i was unaware of what was going on. i did not even know for a whole week. that was a total shock. and i had no cell phone at the time. it was dead by then. there was no signal up there where i go anyhow. that is what was so scary about

it. i mean, the whole place could have been destroyed down below, and i never would have even known. that was the scary part for me, being unaware of it, and that's what i called to tell you. and of course, everybody knows just how horrible it was. i did not get a chance to see the planes hit the building because it was not aired as much. i could not believe what i -- what was going on without me being aware of it. host: thank you for sharing that. greta, what else do you have for us? >> in new york, the lights were tested for tonight's 20th anniversary. take a look. "the lights shine bright over new york city tonight as another test.

the steal from those twin towers has been repurposed across the country. take a look at this -- this is the long island newspaper. here she is, the uss new york built from 24 towns of steel from the foll towers -- from the fallen towers of 9/11. the sailors aboard this ship, they reflected on where they were that day. take a listen. [video clip] >> i remember working at the -- >> i was at my first job ever out of high school. >> sixth grade, first period. >> the instructor came into the classroom and said there's been a tragedy. >> at first, i thought it was a joke. >> i cannot believe it.

>> the teacher was crying. >> that is when we saw the second plane struck. >> my first question was, what? that could never happen. i did not understand it because i was young at the time. >> it is something that i will never, ever, ever forget. host: the sailors aboard the uss new york. also from the burlington free press, they noted that, after 9/11, cities and towns across the country received steel from the fallen towers for public displays and remembrances, many of them ending up in new york, others across the world. this one, a beam from the complex, sets in the college of dupage's security center, a reminder of the first responders

on 11. this from the u.s. embassy in dublin. the dublin detachment corps present the colors in front of the memorial that contains a piece of steel from the twin towers. in waterford, ireland, a piece of the steel also made into a memorial in that country. and this from nbc. on the 20th anniversary of the september 11 attacks, there are caretakers, a couple looking over a piece of steel from one of the twin towers and reminding the residents of the town to visit their display. here's a picture of this piece of steel in their yard. host: president biden is en route to ground zero. he spent the night in new york. we are going to hear your voices and memories from 20 years ago.

greg in maplewood, new jersey, please go ahead. caller: good morning. september 11, i was actually working in midtown manhattan, 44th and 2nd avenue. a lot of people commented on the weather that day. i was living in brooklyn and i remember walking to the subway in the morning and it was an unbelievable day. certain days, i feel exactly like it was that morning. the sky very similar today as it was then. i was in our office building when the planes hit the tower. it was chaotic. nobody knew what was going on. we couldn't see anything. i was on the sixth floor. we were getting some information on the internet. everyone was calling, etc. lots of rumors spreading around. people were talking about bombs going off.

nobody knew what was going on. we kind of hung out in the office until after the second tower collapsed. everybody started to head home as best we could. i had to walk home from 44th and 2nd avenue, to park slope, brooklyn, so i walked all the way south, and it was incredible. no traffic on the streets. nothing but black government suvs driving down 2nd avenue, mics blaring, and coming in the opposite direction were people coming back from downtown, covered in soot, guys from the world trade center covered in ash, complete chaos. i cannot get up the bridge. i had to walk over manhattan bridge with thousands of other people. i stopped in the middle of the bridge and thought for about 15 minutes while looking at the smoke coming up from ground zero. it was incredible.

you know, that is my memory. i find it in my memory, and i finally made it home to parts of brooklyn, and for weeks and weeks and weeks, you could smell the burning insulation, the wiring. it was a distinct smell, and it just lasted for weeks, and there were fighter jets flying over for weeks as well. it was an incredible period, and my wife and i would go down over ground zero over the ensuing weeks, and there was nothing but flies over the missing everywhere, and it was incredible. host: so, greg, has the city changed? how has the city changed over the last 20 years?

how have you changed? caller: um, i don't know this is early that the city has changed. i worked downtown near ground zero for about 12 years. i don't know that i would say the city has changed. the world has certainly changed. i kind of use september 11, 2001 as a breaking point where the world completely changed, and everything that happened after that time was kind of chaos, the gulf war, afghanistan, credit crisis, just so many things have happened since that period of time, but i do not remember those type of events happening prior to 9/11. i think 9/11 was really a point in time where the world itself changed. host: greg, thanks for sharing your memories with us. anne in reno, nevada.

hi, anne. caller: hi. i was upstairs in my room, taking care of a baby, and my husband was taking our three-year-old to preschool little bit earlier. he yelled at me to come downstairs, and i was able to sit there, looking at the television, and i was just in shock. as we were watching, you know, the first towers had gone down, and we just knew that everything changed forever, from that point on, and i know this is selfish, but i was grateful that my husband was not playing at the time. he was a pilot. he flew for one of these major airlines.

and the thing is, yeah, a part of me had worried, you know, about him, always, every time he took a trip to the air. but being in the military, just in awe of all the flags being displayed and the patriotism that was shown is incredible. the interesting thing that i want to leave with you is that my children now, they have all taken to wanting to be someone of service for our country, whether it be in health or something. and all of this is -- this tragedy, of course, has left its mark on our young, and i'm so proud of them and anybody who wants to be of service to our

country in so many capacities, whether it is military, health, law enforcement, anything to be in service and to be a passionate human being. host: thank you, anne, for calling in. on your screen, the pentagon, shanksville, pennsylvania, the flight 90 we memorial. over on the left, if you had just seen -- flight 93 memorial. over on the left, you had seen governor holcomb and congressman nadler, who was the congressmen 20 years ago and still is today. he spoke with members of congress about the memories, if you remember correctly, the capital was evacuated. we spoke to two democrats,

calvert and lofgren, about their experience. [video clip] mr. calvert: if you talk to most people, in their comments, it was just a perfect autumn day. it was clear as a bell. the temperature was just wonderful, low humidity, you know, remarkable in washington, d.c. anyway in that time of year. and i remember driving to the hotel, next to the white house, because i was giving a speech to the generic pharmaceutical drug caucus, which i was chairman out. and they were down from new york, new york city, specifically. there were several hundred, 400 people there. i remember walking into the

hotel, and i saw former secretary jim baker sitting in the lobby, and i briefly gave my respects and walked into the main room to speak to the folks in new york about generic pharmaceuticals, and i was given this -- giving this speech, and i got a note, passed on by my chief of staff, that a plane had gone into the world trade center. horrible accident. and then a few minutes later, i got a second piece of paper that said it was no accident. rep. lofgren: at some point, we said we are just going to go back in the session, and the security people flipped out. they could not do that. we were going to go to the capital anyhow, because we thought that country needs to see the government, right? so we were on the steps of the

capital, so the police, the anxiety -- we should have ignored them, actually, compliant. just sort of spontaneously, i think it was the chaplain down in the front started singing "god bless america." >> ♪ land that i love stand beside her and guide her thru the night with the light from above from the mountains to the prairie to the oceans, white with foam

god bless america my home sweet home god bless america my home sweet home ♪ ♪ host: and president biden. has arrived at ground zero. . we will watch the scene as we continue to hear your voices. he is not scheduled to speak, but he is there to visit and talk to some families. stan, from hudson falls, please share your memories from 20 years ago with us. caller: i remember being stationed at camp pendleton. i had just come home from deployment. i was actually on duty. my boss had come to me, taken me aside, and told me that they

could not find my brother. he was stationed at the pentagon. it was about 24 hours, close to 24 hours from the time that we actually -- he got in touch with us, because of land lines and all that, and we had found out that he had actually gone into help bring out some of his friends and some of the lost. that resonates in my mind every day that i see him, so the sacrifice that when in today, the health, and the love of one's country sits on my mind every every day. host: you stated that your commanding officer took your sidearm from you. caller: just precaution.

it was part of s.o.p., standing standard operating procedures. because of everything that happened, they did not want everyone to, i guess, go crazy. host: now that you are in hudson falls, new york, have you visited ground zero, which we have seen on the screen right now? caller: i have not been back to new york city since i was in eighth grade. host: that is dan in hudson falls, new york. greta, what you have for us? greta: some images from that day. looking at some photos recently released from the secret service, not seen before. this one shows ground zero on september 11, 2001, after the towers collapsed, taken by a secret service employee that day. the photo donated. take a look at this image, a photo of the world trade center collapse and come again from a secret service and leave that

day. and then this photo taken from frank larkin, on september 14, 2001. this is courtesy of white house photo. and then we want to share this moment with all of you, and this probably won't be found in our archives. this is barbara olson, her last tv experience. it was 20 years ago, she was on american airlines flight 77 from dulles to l.a.x. for taping bill maher's "politically incorrect." take a look. [video clip]

>> barbara olson served on the committee of government reform and has been a counsel for the house of representatives, and you also work for the department of justice. your husband currently works for the department of justice. ms. olson: yes, he does. >> who is mr. barbara olson? ms. olson: he is solicitor general. host: next caller, fort worth, texas. morning. [end video clip] host: can we continue to take your calls. ground zero is starting to fill in. you can see the president has arrived. shanksville, which will be the next up for president biden for her he will be joined by former president bush and former vice

president dick cheney at shanksville. ann in carmel, california. please go ahead, ann. caller: yes, good morning. i was a dental hygienist at the naval postgraduate school in monterey, california, and we started our day very, very early. so i was up at 4:30 a.m., which was the usual time for me to get up and get ready for work, and i turned on the tv. so it was happening. i immediately rushed and dressed , and on my way to work, when i pulled into the grounds of the naval postgraduate school in monterey, california, i walked into harmon hall, which was the main building in monterey, and it was the home of the naval postgraduate school. i went in. the fellows at the quarterdeck,

i said "how come you have no one at the gate," and he said, "ma'am, we are getting ammunition right now." i thought, "boy, that is a good idea." i went upstairs, and the tv was on. these are students at the postgraduate naval school, and they were young. i can't say we were numb. i think everybody's senses were on high gear. we were all kind of tingly. and they knew that we were going to war, and the rest of the day was just a blur. we all had moved to the tv, and finally when i left to go home, ran into one of the faculty members, and i said, "can you

believe this?" in his response to me was, "osama bin laden." and i thought, "who's that?" everybody knew what was happening. by the time i left the building, the flag had been raised and lowered to half mast, and the complete campus wasn't shut down. host: ann, it is pretty amazing the level of detail that one remembers from that day, isn't it? caller: oh, it is still with me. most of it happened afterwards, because people that i knew or had met as a patient were starting to come back into the scene. for example, there was a young man who had a very bad motorcycle accident, where he was a student at nps, naval

postgraduate school, recovered from that, and yet he was issued at the pentagon, and he was one that president bush interviewed, and he had been burned, like, 90% of his body. and president bush had said, when you're ready to go, we will go out and play golf together. that was the same student i had is a patient at nps. another one, he has long since deceased, but he told me he was in the pentagon when the plane hit. his response was really kind of funny. he said, i was sitting in a chair with my trousers around my ankles. i will never forget that. he said the wall caved in on him, and his staffer came in and got him out of the building, and

got him home. he said he had walked miles. then he realized he was in shock and stopped and managed to get a hold of his wife, who came and picked him up. but he was, you know, very aware of what was going on that day. host: ann, we are going to have to leave it there, but we appreciate you sharing that story with us. bill, go ahead. caller: yes, good morning. 20 years ago, just like today, not a cloud in the sky, and i was a service manager at a tire store in sarasota, florida. that morning, i got to work at 7:00 and opened up about 7:30, 8:00, a police officer came to the door and said, "we are going to block the road off here,

because george bush is going to speak at the school right down the road. " and they did come and we had customers who were stuck in the shop, customers who could not get to the shop, because the road was blocked off. and then my wife called and said, "turn on the tv," and i did. that was right after tower one was hit. and shortly after that, we saw an entourage, -- well, before that, we saw george bush go by with his entourage, suv's, you know, secret service vehicles, everything you can imagine. we did not know which car he was in. we were out on the sidewalk, watching him go by. could not tell what car he was in. then my wife called and said, "turn on the tv." we did come in the lobby, after the first plane hit. then after the second plane hit,

we saw 20 police cars go by, police lights come everything going, to get george bush to the airport. we could actually hear the air force one plane take from the airport. this was well after play number two had hit. it was just a very odd day. i mean, the parking lot was closed for hours, where nobody could get in and out. the customers were complaining they could not leave. and it was just really upsetting. that my wife called back and said she was going to get our daughter. that is a memory i will never forget. host: that his bill in flat rock, north carolina. cindy is in massachusetts. what do you remember about 9/11? caller: hi.

good morning. as so many people have said, we clearly remember it being such a beautiful day. my husband had actually interviewed with patrick fitzgerald about a month before that time, and had been accepted and had decided, because our daughter was involved in a lot of activities in her junior year in high school, that he was not going to take a job offer, and she would have been in new york that week, training at fitzgerald in new york. he never would have survived. he would not have lived to see our daughter graduate, get married, have three grandchildren that we have. and every year, we are just so grateful that he made a decision that would have changed our whole entire future and that of our family.

we grieve for the families that lost loved ones. we have a retired firefighter and uncle in the family, a cousin that is a firefighter. and every time we get to the date, every year we think of those firefighters and first responders who were lost and the bravery that they showed and the fact that anything like this could happen any place in the world, at any time these days. and we can never forget the bravery and the innocent lives that were lost. host: that is cindy in massachusetts. throughout the morning, we will continue to hear your voices and your memories. we will also be live from ground zero, shinto, pennsylvania, the pentagon at ceremonies -- shanksville come of any, the pentagon, at ceremonies.

they should begin at 8:30, eight: 40, something like that. we will come of course, as c-span go live with all of that. but chicken once more with greta. greta: what politicians are saying on twitter, the first female governor of new york, caffrey hogle, with this tweet, "20 years ago, people lost their lives in this horrific act of terrorism against our nation." former president barack obama -- and you also have chuck schumer, the majority leader, democrat of new york and senator from that state, 20 years ago today, our city can country, and our world changed forever. we will never forget those we lost on 9/11 and the years

since. we remember the bravery of our first responders come of the families of those we lost, and of new yorkers and americans across the country. and minority leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky, "20 years ago today, our country changed forever. thousands of americans were killed. first responders rush into flames, and a generation of his heroes will successfully keep our homeland safe. never forget and never again," he says. finally, the republican leader of the house in california, kevin mccarthy, "we are forever indebted to the men and women who were inspired to join our military after that day, and we will never forget them for their family kevin mccarthy, the leader for republicans in the house. host: just like it was 20 years ago today, it was a beautiful day in new york city. there is ground zero on your screen.

the ceremonies are about to begin up there. we will watch, and we will see what unfolds.

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[chanting] >> ♪ o say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there, o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪♪

[applause] [rhythmic drumming] [bagpipes playing]

[chime]

>> the moment of silence. the moment of silence we just shared works the very moment 20 years ago that american airlines flight 11 flew into the north tower of the world trade center. my name is mike grove, and my daughter, sarah elizabeth grove, was the flight attendant on that plane. these 20 years have felt both a long time and a 20 to -- and a long time, and as we recite the names of those we lost, my memory goes back to that terrible day when it felt like an eagle specter had descended on our world. it was also a time when many people went above and beyond the

ordinary. we think about the flight crews, like sarah, the professionals, the fire, the police, and later the volunteers who worked, sifting through loved ones' reamins, they have been through the darkest days of our lives. in the last 20 years ago, my wife and i have been through unspeakable sorrow over the lives that will never be. for years, i have been speaking out on my daughter's behalf and speaking out for precautions and also for the history to be remembered not as numbers and a date but the faces of ordinary people, people who looked a lot like sarah.

at the first memorial ceremony, my wife, bobby, and i, stood with the family members, in the midst of the gray and black world of destroyed memories. today, this is the memory. we still have stories of all the sons and daughters, of siblings, husbands and wives, grandparents, and friends. as we share these 20 years forward, i find sustenance and a continuing appreciation to all of those who rose to be more than ordinary people, and a father's pride in his daughter's selfless act, acting with: to help those on the air and those on the ground, a legacy from sara that burns like an

internal flame. >> gordon junior. >> abbad. marie abbad. >> anthony andrew abate. >> lauren christopher abell. >> alana abraham. >> lauren s. abrahamson. >> lauren anthony. >> christian adams. >> donald leroy adams. >> patrick adams. >> shannon lewis adams. >> stephen george adams. >> ignatius.

>> christie a. adomo. >> harold adderley junior. >> sophia. >> lee adler. >> daniel thomas. [reading names]

>> and my brother, vladimir. i look at your nephew's face, and i cherish those moments. 20 years have gone by, and so much has changed in our lives, but the memory of you and you close to us and perishing the gifts of your life never changes

and never will. [speaking on english language] >> and my father, edward joseph, dad, we miss you every day. the greatest gifts are your beautiful grandchildren. they embody your kind spirit, warm heart, kind nature, and zest for life. they are a daily reminder that your legacy lives on. we love you, dad. david d. alger. >> ernest alikakos.

edward l. allegretto. eric allen. >> joseph ryan allen. >> richard lanard allen. >> richard dennis allen. christopher edward allingham. >> janet m. alonso. >> anthony alvarado. >> antonio javier alvarez. telmo alvear. cesar a. alviar. >> tariq amanullah. >> angelo amaranto.

>> james amato. >> joseph amatuccio. >> christopher charles amoroso. >> kazuhiro anai. >> calixto anaya. jorge octavio santos anaya. >> joseph peter anchundia. >> kermit charles anderson. >> yvette anderson. >> john andreacchio. >> michael rourke andrews. >> jean a. andrucki. siew-nya ang. >> joseph angelini. >> and my husband, joseph

angelini, junior. joe, our simon reminds me of you. he likes of my face every day. i know you feel less, because we feel you, watching over us and our family. 20 years feels like yesterday. until we meet again, my love. rest in peace. ♪ >> peter paul apollo. >> faustino apostol. >> frank thomas aquilino. >> patrick michael aranyos. david gregory arce. >> michael g. arczynski. >> louis arena.

adam areas. >> michael j armstrong. >> jack charles aron. >> joshua aron. >> richard avery aronow. >> japhet j. aryee. >> carl asaro. >> michael a asciak. >> michael edward asher. >> janice ashley. >> thomas j ashton. >> manuel o. asitimbay. gregg arthur atlas. >> gerald atwood.

>> james audiffred. >> kenneth w. van auken. >> and my uncle, firefighter christopher michael. even though i never met you in person, i still miss you a lot. mother tells me all the things you have done, and i am sure you did. thank you for being the best guardian angel. mom also says i have your lovable charm and fearlessness. not only do i have your time, but i am honored to have your name as my middle name. you have inspired me to fall in

your footsteps and become a firefighter, too. we hope you will continue to watch over us and keep us healthy and safe. we love you so much, uncle chris. >> and my sister. elizabeth richard lawson. your sisters, your nieces, your nephews. it was such a sad day, october 11. i remember you working at the pentagon, and when you told us that an airplane had passed a pentagon, i could not believe it. from the building i worked at at epa, i could see the floats, and i could not believe that you are gone. i just want to say we love you and i miss you. thank you so much.

>> gerard baptiste. walter baran. >> gerard a. barbara. >> paul v. barbaro. >> james barnes. sheila patricia barnes. evan j baron. renee barrett arjun. diane g barry. maurice vincent barry. scott d bart. guy barzvi inna b basina. alysia basmajian. kenneth william basnicki. stephen joseph vapes.

paul james battaglia. w david bauer. marlyn capito bautista. mark lawrence davis. jasper baxter. lorraine g bay beale bay. paul frederick beatini. jane s beatty. alan anthony stephen. lawrence ira beck. manette marie beckles. carl john bedigian. michael earnest beekman. and my uncle, tom s. swift. we love you and miss you, you live on in the hearts and minds of your family, and we think about you every day. i cannot wait to meet you again. >> and my brother, tj hargraves,

who we continue to miss and love every day. the world is not the same without him. >> they will continue to read the names of the deceased in new york city at ground zero, but at the pentagon, the ceremony there is about to begin. there will be a moment of silence at 9:03 a.m. this morning, when united flight 175 struck the south tower. we will go back to new york at some point, and you can certainly watch everything online at c-span.org, but here is the pentagon in arlington. [inaudible]

>> [inaudible] >> ♪ oh say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say, does that star-spangled

banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ ♪ >> [inaudible]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. dr. paul w. ambrose. [bell ringing] >> specialist craig adnan son, u.s. army. master sergeant buulkey,

master sergeant, retired. dr. bitru. petty officer second-class krisandat, united states navy. kerry r blackburn. colonel canfield d boone, united states army. mary jane booth. donna m. owen. allen people -- b. boyle.

bernard c brown the second. christopher bearford, united states navy. petty officer 3rd class daniel m caballero, united states navy. sergeant first class jose calderon-amdeo, united states navy. suzanne m calley. angeline c carter. sharon a carter.

william e caswell. sergeant first class john shada, united states army, retired. rosa maria chaupa. david m charlibeaux. sarah m clarke. julian t cooper. asia s. katum. eric a cranford, united states navy.

ida davis. james debounir. rodney dickens. lieutenant colonel jerry d. di ckerson, united states army. eddie a dillard. petty officer first class johnny dr. junior, united states navy. captain robert e dolan, junior, united states navy. commander william h donovan, united states navy.

lieutenant commander charles a droz iii, retired. commander patrick dunn, united states navy. edward t erehart, united states navy. barbara g edwards. lieutenant commander robert r elsen, united states navy reserve. charles s falkenberg. and his wife, leslie a w hittington. and their two children, dana falkenberg.

and zoe falkenberg. [bell rings] petty officer 3rd class jamie l fallon, united states navy. j joseph ferguson. amelia v fields. [bell rings] gerald p fisher. [bell rings] darlene e flagg. [bell rings] and her husband, rear admiral wilson f flagg, united states navy reserve, retired. [bell rings] petty officer second-class michael m flacco, united states

navy. [bell rings] sandra and -- sandra n. foster [bell rings] first lieutenant richard p gabriel, united states marine corps, retired. [bell rings] cortez gee. [bell rings] brenda c gibson. [bell rings] colonel ronald f galinsky, united states army, retired. [bell rings] ian j gray. [bell rings] diane hale mckinsey. [bell rings]

stanley r hall. [bell rings] carolyn b holman. [bell rings] michelle m haydn berger. -- michele m heidenberger. [bell rings] sheila ms hein [bell rings] ronald j hemenway, united states navy [bell rings] staff sergeant jimmy i. halle, united states army, retired. [bell rings] angela m house.

[bell rings] brady k howell. [bell rings] peggy am hurt -- peggy m. hurt. [bell rings] steven m highlands junior, united states army. [bell rings] robert hamill, united air force, retired. [bell rings] sergeant major lacey be ivory. united states army. [bell rings] bryan c jack. [bell rings] steven d jacoby. [bell rings] lt. col. dennis m johnson, united states army.

[bell rings] judith l jones. [bell rings] ann c judge. [bell rings] brenda kegler. [bell rings] chandler r keller. [bell rings] yvonne e kennedy. [bell rings] norma cruz khan. [bell rings] karen ann kincaid [bell rings] lieutenants michael s lamona, united states navy. [bell rings] david w latechek.

[bell rings] jennifer lewis. [bell rings] and her husband, kenneth e lewis. [bell rings] samantha l life are now -- samantha l lithorn-allen/ [bell rings] james t lynch, junior. [bell rings] terrence m lynch. [bell rings] >> petty officer first class, --, united states navy. [bell rings] shelley marshall. [bell rings]

teresa m martins. [bell rings] lt. col. dean e messen, united states army. [bell rings] lt. col. timothy j mudd, united states army. [bell rings] robert j maxwell. [bell rings] renee a may. [bell rings] molly l mckinsey. [bell rings] dora marie menchaca. [bell rings] patricia e. mckely. [bell rings]

major ronald d marlon, united states army. [bell rings] odessa v morris. [bell rings] petty officer first class brian a moss, united states navy. [bell rings] kennington h lloyd. christopher steve -- christopher c newton. [bell rings] petty officer seven class michael a north, united states

navy. [bell rings] barbara k olson. [bell rings] ruben s ornedo. [bell rings] diana v pedro. [bell rings] you -- lieutenant jonas m petrich. [bell rings] robert penninger. [bell rings] robert r ploger iii. [bell rings] and his wife, zandra f ploger. [bell rings]

lieutenant darren h patel, united states navy reserve. [bell rings] scott howell. -- scott powell. [bell rings] captain jack d punches, united states navy. lisa j raines. [bell rings] deborah a ramser. [bell rings] rhonda rasmussen. [bell rings] petty officer first class marcia d radford, united states navy. [bell rings]

todd h reuben. [bell rings] cecelia e lawson-richard. [bell rings] edward b rohanhorse. [bell rings] judy rowlands. sergeant major robert e russell, united states army major, retired. [bell rings] chief officer william r ruitt, united states army reserves. [bell rings] charles e saban, sr.

marjorie t salimoy. [bell rings] john p sammartino. [bell rings] colonel david m stills, united states army. [bell rings] commander robert a flay -- a slagle, united states navy. [bell rings] janet m scott. [bell rings] lt. col. michael l sells, united states army, retired. [bell rings] marion h serva. commander dan f schennover,

united states navy. antoinette and -- antoinette m. sherman. [bell rings] diane m simmons. [bell rings] and her husband, george w simmons. [bell rings] donald d simmons. [bell rings] chief greg h smallwood, united states navy. [bell rings] lt. col. gary s smith, united states army, retired. [bell rings] marie ray -- mari-rae sopper. [bell rings] robert speisman.

[bell rings] patricia j stubbs. [bell rings] edna l stevens. [bell rings] nora rae surrey. [bell rings] hilda e taylor. [bell rings] lt. col. kip p. taylor, united states army. [bell rings] leonard e taylor. [bell rings] sandra c taylor.

[bell rings] sandra d teague. [bell rings] lieutenant carl w. terey. [bell rings] lieutenant commander ronald j tog. [bell rings] carol weidner, united

states army. -- karen wagoner, united states army. [bell rings] staff sergeant white, united states army. sandra l white. [bell rings] ernest m wilcher. [bell rings] lieutenant commander david l williams, united states navy. [bell rings] major duane williams, united states army. [bell rings] chief marvin roger woods, united states navy, retired. [bell rings]

captain john dm nikki -- john d yamnicky, sr, united states navy, retired. [bell rings] vicki yancey. [bell rings] chief donald m young, united states navy. [bell rings] edmund g young, jr. [bell rings] lisa l young. [bell rings] shuyin yang. [bell rings]

and her husband, yuguag zheng. [bell rings]

>> ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me i once was lost

but now i'm found was blind but now i see ♪ >> ♪ amazing grace amazing grace ♪ >> ♪'twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved

how precious did that grace appear that hour i first believed ♪ >> ♪ amazing grace how sweet ♪ >> ♪ the lord hath promised good to me his word my hope secures he will my shield and portion be as long as life endures ♪

[singing] >> ♪ amazing grace

amazing grace ♪ ♪

>> i invite you to join me in prayer. let us pray. almighty god, we pause on this solemn anniversary with heavy hearts as we remember this horrific tragedy took place on the grounds of the pentagon,

taking from us 184 of nearly 3000 sons and daughters of our nation that perished on this day. we especially remember the surviving families and friends, and ask your continued healing of the grief that they bear each day. we celebrate these great american heroes who have laid such a supreme sacrifice onto the altar of freedom. and, lord, we ask that you bring them comfort. comfort to all survivors as our nation remembers their patriotism. oh, god, we also remember and offer thanks to those who

served, delivered aid, delivered assistance and even saved others in this time of tragedy. and need. and lord, 20 years later, our prayer is that we you together as a nation and embrace one another with dignity and respect for all. that we seek peaceful resolutions. we learn to choose love over fear. lord, with your help, oh god, help us find hope and

forgiveness in ourselves and in this world. which we live, that we can make a difference to everyone around us. lord, through your help, through your guidance, through your love and grace, we pray this in your holy name, amen. i now invite you to stand and join me in a moment of silence.

[playing "taps"] ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. it is my closure to introduce general mark a milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. >> mr. secretary, distinguished guests, thank you all for participating in this morning's ceremony. most of all, i want to thank the people would -- we are here

for today. those who survived the murderous attack on the fallen. thank you for participating, and we are deeply humbled to be standing here on this sacred ground. 20 years ago began as a typical morning for pentagon employees, those in uniform and our civilian colleagues settled into the rhythms and routines of a normal tuesday morning with a near cloudless sky. temperatures in the low 60's and it was promised to be a beautiful day. the passengers and crew of american airlines flight 77 were a little over into -- an hour into their flight from dulles to l.a. fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, brothers and sisters.

all of that changed at 9:37 a.m., as the innocent got in the crossfire of terror. the ideology of hatred unfolded on this very ground. in seconds, scores of lives were lost. 184 men, women and children were slaughtered in the violent impact and fury. 59 passengers and crew, 125 of our pentagon colleagues, and the innocent ranged in age from three to 71 years old. those who perished here were among the 2977 killed on that day, here, in new york, and in pennsylvania. not for what they did, but for what they believed, what they

represented. not for anything they did, but rather who they were. the people we lost that day are not just names and numbers. we remember them today for not only who they were, but what they could have become. they were irreplaceable to their families, instrumental in their jobs, woven into the fabric of community. full of life and potential. lives cut short. pain that can never properly be described in words. suffering that will never fully heal, and no words that i or anyone else will ever say can fill the gaping hole. but we, the living, have a

solemn duty to honor their memory, their legacy, to honor and remember them not just today, but every day. the horrific acts of terrorism on that day were meant to disrupt our way of life and destroy the idea that as america . the idea that is incredibly simple, but incredibly powerful. the idea that terrorists, hate and fear, all of us, men and women, black-and-white, asian and indian, no matter the color of our skin, no matter whether we are catholic, protestant, muslim or jews, or choose not to believe at all. each one of us is created free and equal. the idea that we will rise or fall based on our merit. the idea of a free press, free

speech, free process of law. the right to vote or peaceably assemble and protest against this cause or that. the ideas of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. all of that is what our fallen believed in and what they embodied. all the values and principles embedded in our constitution, made real in our daily lives, were paid for with the blood of the fallen on this place at 9:37, on september 11, 2001. those ideas were and still are hated by our enemies, the fascists, the nazis, the communists, al qaeda, isis, the taliban, and tyrants of all kinds. they hate those ideas, they hate those values.

instead of sowing fear and division, we gathered in new york and pennsylvania at the pentagon and came together as the nation with active heroism, unity and perseverance. many conducted by you in the audience today. we celebrate the fallen, the life they lead. the idea that since that dark day 20 years ago, the men and women of the united states military have fought tirelessly to defeat terrorism in afghanistan and around the world. both at home and abroad.

800,000 of us in uniform served in afghanistan over the last 20 years. many of us served elsewhere in the collective fight against terrorism, and thousands more stand watch today around the world. 2461 of us gave the last full measure of devotion, including 13 just two weeks ago. while 20,698 of us were wounded and untold thousands more suffer with the invisible wounds of war as we close this terrible chapter in our nations history. our men and women in uniform

protected the nation from terrorist attack. for those of us in uniform, for our families who have suffered and sacrificed along our side, for those who have supported us, these have been incredibly emotional, exhausting, and trying years. we are all now, this very day, very conflicted with feelings of pain and anger, sorrow and sadness, combined with pride and resilience. but one thing i am certain of, for every soldier, sailor, airman and marine, for every cia officer, sergeant, cop and fireman, you did your duty. your service matters. your sacrifice was not in vain. so let us resolve.

let us resolve here, yet again today on this hallowed ground, to never forget. to never forget those who were murdered by terrorists. never forget those who rushed to save their lives and gave there is an exchange. never forget the sons and daughters, mothers and fathers who gave there tomorrow -- their tomorrows for our todays. honor their commitment to the experiment of liberty that we call the united states of america. ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure and deep honor to introduce secretary of defense of the united states of america, the honorable lloyd j austin. [applause]

>> thank you. it is an honor to be here with you, especially with the families and loved ones of those taken from us 20 years ago. and with the first responders who raced to help. and with our brothers and sisters in arms, whose lives were changed forever on that day of fire. on behalf of the department of defense, let me renew our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all those lost on 9/11, including

the 184 souls taken from us in the attack on the pentagon, in the building and on flight 77. we know that you carry pain every day. we know that you bear your losses not just at times of ceremony, but also in ordinary moments of absence. in quiet minutes that seemed to stretch on for hours. all of us are here because we remember. and i hope knowing that is at least some measure of comfort just as we once worked alongside so many of them, we now mourn alongside many of you.

today, of all days, we gather their memory close. my memories turn to jim mudd, an outstanding service and leader. he was killed while serving as chief of army staff and personnel. i wish we could turn to him for counsel. and i remember his love for his soldiers, his army, and his country. we know that the memories can be hard to bear. and we know that sorrow doesn't end. but over the years, we hope that the good memories come to us more often and more easily.

today, we remember not just to our fallen teammates were, but the mission that they shared. and we recall their common commitment to defend our republic and to squarely face new dangers. as many of you know, the construction of the pentagon began on another september 11, back in 1941. as war raged overseas, workers with steam shovels started digging into the virginia clay. historians say it was a perfect late summer day with a crystal-clear blue skies and a hint of fall in the air. that september 11 night, president franklin roosevelt

gave a fireside chat about the growing threat of nazi aggression. america's attention was turned inward and focused on the depression. but the president was sure that his fellow citizens, whom he called hardheaded and farsighted , would see the threat of fascism. he said, with american courage, with american resolution, we have faced many crises. we will do no less today. the president knew that in times of testing, it called for clear heads and fearless hearts. clear heads and fearless hearts.

that's what our times demand again. and they demand that we remember that same september day 60 years later, and the ideals that brought our teammates to work on september 11, 2001. now, almost a quarter of the citizens who we defend today or born after 9/11. that includes thousands of our outstanding young service members. and many of the 13 brave men and women who days ago gave their lives to save others in afghanistan were babies back in 2001. as a secretary of defense and a veteran of the afghan war, let

me underscore again how much we owe to all those who fought and all those who fell while serving our country in afghanistan. as the years march on, we must ensure that our fellow americans know and understand what happened here on 9/11. and in man happen. and in shanksville, pennsylvania. it is our responsibility to remember. and it is our duty to defend democracy. we cannot know what the next 20 years will bring. we cannot know what new dangers they will carry. we cannot foresee what churchill once called the original ity of malice, but we do know that america will always lead.

and we do know the only compass that can guide us through the storms ahead, it is our core values and the principles enshrined in our constitution. liberty, rights, the rule of law. in the fierce commitment to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. it is our job to defend the great experiment that is america. to protect this exceptional republic, body and soul. and to defend the american people in our democracy, even when it is hard. especially when it is hard. ladies and gentlemen, we must be tireless guardians of our

ideals, as well as our security. because we cannot have one without the other. let me thank again the families of the loved ones and survivors for all that you have given, and for the inspiration you provide. the hallways that we tread were the ones that so many of them walked. it will always be our duty to fulfill their mission, and to stand guard over this democracy. we still work here. we still remember here. and we still uphold our values here. with clear heads and fearless hearts.

thank you, and may god protect the united states of america. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for god bless america. >> ♪ god bless america, land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above >> ♪ from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam

>> ♪ god bless america, my home sweet home god bless america, land that i -- god bless america, my home sweet home god bless america, my home sweet home ♪ ♪ >> i invite you again to -- to join me in prayer. oh holy god, as we come to a conclusion of this observance of this day, remind us to build up what has been torn down, to repair what is broken, to overcome hate with love, and be a true instrument these. through this and through you, o god, we can live in a way that your love is a reflection to us

and to others. may we carry this of remembrance today for these great american, and also the torch of unity, through your peace and love. we play -- we pray this in the holy name. amen. >> ladies and gentlemen the memorial is open at this time >> until 3:00. >>-- until 3:00. >> are live coverage continues, now 125 miles northwest of d.c. in shanksville, pennsylvania, the flight 93 memorial is happening. you will hear from vice president kamala harris as well as former president bush, president biden has left new york and is on his way to shanksville now. and now, live, to shanksville. >> my husband, edward.

[bells ringing] >> jane c. folger [bells ringing] >> colleen l. fraser

[bells ringing] >> andrew sonny garcia [bells ringing] >> are beautiful loved one, jeremy logan glenn. [bells ringing]

>> lauren, and our unborn child. [bells ringing] >> wanda anita green [bells ringing] >> my dad, donald freeman greene [bells ringing]

>> my sister, linda gronlund [bells ringing] >> my beloved brother and son, richard j. guadagno [bells ringing] >> my brother-in-law, first officer leroy w. homer, jr.

[bells ringing] >> toshio huger. >> my mother and flight attendant cc -- -- cici ross hutz. [bells ringing]

>> my grandmother, hilda marcin [bells ringing] >> waleska martinez [bells ringing] >> my sister, nicole carol miller [bells ringing]

>> louis j. nacke ii [bells ringing] donald -- >> donald arthur peterson. [bells ringing] >> jean hoadley peterson [bells ringing] >> mark david rothenberg

[bells ringing] >> christine ann snyder [bells ringing] >> my dad, john talignani [bells ringing] >> honor elizabeth wainio [bells ringing] >> my cousin, debbie jacobs

welsh. [bells ringing] >> 20 years ago, the world watched in horror as a terrorist attack unfolded at the world trade center, the pentagon, and in this field, near shanksville. on that day, my vision, here at

this holy site was one of along fire engine with its crew at the ready for potential rescue and firefighting. those first responders were shadowed by smoke rising from the impact zone into nearby forest of the hemlock trees bordering this field. my thoughts at the moment was that this was no longer a common field. it was traveled by so many who lived in this area, but this field was now sacred ground. and, no more. so how did this vision of tragedy turn into a memory of complete victory?

a wife of the fellow los angeles firefighter, susie bird, made a quilt. she asked many to place a written message on the patches of that quilt. when i was given the pen, i wrote the vision that i had seen on september 11, 2001. i wrote a common field one day, the field of honor forever. be simple words caught the attention of one of the archivists, who collected many thoughts that were sent here to this memorial, these words became the preamble for the mission statement that has guided and processed for

permanently immortalizing the 40 passengers and crew of flight 93 over the past 20 years. please, hear these words once again. a common field one day, a field of honor forever. may all who visit this place remember the collective acts of courage and sacrifice of the passengers and crew. revere this hologram -- hollowed ground as the final resting place of those heroes and reflect on the power of individuals who chose to make a difference. peace be with you. [applause]

>> thank you, your eloquent words have truly helped to define our understanding of this hollowed ground. thank you. our sincere appreciation to all of our family readers as well as our bellringers. this nation relies on the men and women of our military for our protection. we obama debt of gratitude -- we owe them a debt of gratitude which truly can never be repaid for their sacrifices today -- there sacrifice -- for the sacrifices they and their families have made in preserving this great nation. i would like to acknowledge the men and women currently serving

in our nation's military and all of our veterans who have so bravely served this country. assisting with today's observance are 40 sailors from uss somerset. named for somerset county, where flight 93 crashed. she is one of three ships, and remember the tragic events of september 11, along with uss arlington and uss new york. thank you, sailors, for being with us this morning. [applause]

>> it's a great honor to introduce captain john kurtz, the commanding officer of the uss somerset. the captain grew up in pennsylvania, and graduated from the naval academy in 1996. before commending the somerset, he served as a naval flight officer and the executive officer at uss nimitz. please join me in welcoming him.

cpt. kurtz: courage through adversity. that's the motto of uss somerset and the reason we gather here, to honor a remarkable act of courage by 40 strangers in the face of unimaginable diversity. good morning, families and friends of heroes of flight 93, vice president harris and mr. emhoff, governor wolf, former president bush and misses bush, secretary holland, mr. clark, chief ruda. this is one of the highest honors of my life, representing the nearly 435 united states sailors and greens serving aboard the uss somerset. courage through adversity is a motto rooted in her own cash -- action in the skies above us. the story of flight 93 is one of

40 people brought together by circa dance -- circumstance. those of whom knew no one on board, banding together in a time of crisis. i can think of no greater active service or higher calling than prioritizing the lives of others when one's existence is at stake . divine comprehension, these unsuspecting people -- define cup bread drink, these unsuspecting people acted with complete selflessness, acted in the name of countless, nameless faces below. september 10, 2001 it may have been impossible to imagine we find ourselves here today reverently remembering such a selfless act. the department of defense's theme of this anniversary is educated remember. we take that responsibility

seriously. every month we gather our newly arrived sailors to help them adjust to ship life. this is their introduction to the crew and hours to them. in recent years, many sailors were not yet in kindergarten or even born on the day the world stood still in 2001. this alone drives us to educate and remember, we must recount to a fresh group of faces the story of our ships namesake. we get -- we begin by repeating the motto, pointing out to these young men and women who have no memory of that day that they serve on a ship that means so much to so many americans. they are presented with their duty. join team somerset in rising above adversity, and together, as a crew, carry on the legacy of those 40 heroes. it's our job to continue defending those ideals for which they sacrificed. their path to heroism was uninvited and unrequested.

witness passengers and crew members boyd -- boarded they assumed it was another flight. two are from vacation or part of the day's work. adversity took them by surprise. but they joined together and fought back. they put others ahead of themselves. a testament to service and sacrifice. this is what we live for onboard u.s. somerset. strangers banding together in terms of service and sacrifice. we have a distinct advantage against adversity compared to those 40. we know it is coming. we will find ourselves in the enemy sites, and the enemy sites, and modifier, standing between our country and those who would do her harm. we -- we owe it to them to be ready. they deserve nothing less that our efforts to build on their example.

the sailors and marines of uss somerset, some of whom were with us today, are ready to put others ahead of themselves. our official motto honors the legacy of those individuals who western their courage, painted on the heger door is the phrase uttered in the moment of their struggle, reflecting the inspirational actions of those heroes and serves as a stark reminder and motivator for team somerset. towering over the crew in times of peace and conflict alight -- like, these words remind us of sacrifice, service, and the call to rise above adversity. i am humbled to repeat those words today as uss somerset honor the heroes of flight 93 and the loved ones left behind. so i will end, as i had dolomite addresses to the crew. team somerset, let's roll.

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, i think that our nation's incredible hands, having gotten to know the captain and sailors of the somerset and all throughout somerset county, captain, you have made this event even more memorable. thank you for your service. god bless you. [applause] >> we are honored today also by the presence of many elected officials, from all levels of government. among them, u.s. editors bob casey, pat toomey, congressman

john joyce, state senator pat stephano and representing the incredible, beautiful people of somerset county, a goodbye work with so often, commissioners gerald walker, colleen dawson, and pamela. for everyone, we truly appreciate you being with us today. on september 11, 2001, governor tom ridge arrived here to survey the crash site. one week later, he met with family members when they first visited this field of honor. in the following days, president bush summoned him to washington to lead this country's homeland security apparatus -- efforts. governor ridge wishes he could be with us this morning, as the

families of flight 93 mean so much to him. when i spoke to him a few short days ago, he asked me to remind everyone that the kindness, generosity, and compassion displayed by all americans after september 11 remains bite -- remains vital to our nation's security. governor ridge is with us in spirit. thank you for your support over these many years. [applause] truly, in the past 20 years, there's no question that the commonwealth of pennsylvania has been deeply involved in honoring the heroes of flight 93. that involvement has been vital to the creation of this memorial

. joining us now, a pennsylvania native and the 47th governor of this great state of pennsylvania , everyone, please help me welcome governor tom wolf. >> thank you, stephen, thank you everyone for being here and thank you for honoring me by allowing me to be here today. pennsylvania is proud to have been involved with these memorial services. every time i visit this memorial, i am struck by the solemnity of the place. and the compassion in the heart of the people who built this place of remembrance. people who visit to share stories of love and grief and

people who care for the space and the visitors who come here day in and day out. every year we remember the lives lost to violent terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001. this year we are commemorating the 20th anniversary of this tragedy, every year, the nation comes together to mourn and remember. we remember our first responders, all of us -- all those who went into danger on september 11 and those who went to after to protect others. we remember the extraordinary acts of bravery and compassion committed by ordinary people. in pennsylvania we remember the actions particularly of those 40 passengers who fought back and sacrificed themselves to save the lives of strangers. this place reminds us each day

of what it means to be an american. in times of strife, we americans come together. we comfort each other. we protect each other. and we stand up for each other. this memorial is a powerful reminder of what we have lost, but also a reminder of the strength of the american spirit. and of what we can do when we come together for the greater good of each of us. this was one of our nation's darkest days. 20 years later we look back and remember the people who brought light to that darkness, who gave us hope when we were sunk in despair. who reminded us how far we americans can go to protect our fellow americans. it is their example that each of us should strive to follow today and every day. thank you. [applause]

♪ >> ♪ amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me

i once was lost, but now am found was blind but now i see ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ♪ was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace, my fears relieved

how precious did that grace appear the hour i first believed ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ♪ through many dangers, toils and snares i have already come

'tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ♪ and grace will lead me home ♪ ♪

[applause] >> the national park service has enjoyed the support of several partners in establishing this amazing the more you -- memorial. we are grateful to the families of flight 93. the friends of flight 93, the national park foundation and to all of those who have helped make the memorial what it is today. 20 years after september 11. it is my distinct pleasure to introduce mr. gordon fell, the president of the families of flight 93. he is the brother of passenger edward porter felton and has

long been the key spokesperson for the families. i have known gordie for several years now. i greatly admire his unwavering commitment to the flight 93 national memorial and to the 40 heroes. he has been an inspiration as well as a good friend to me, and to so many of us gathered today. ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome mr. gordon felton. [applause] mr. felton: madam vice president, second gentleman, president and misses bush, secretary holland, governor

wolf, captain kurtz, pastor kevin, steve, superintendent clark. distinguished guests, families, friends, ambassadors, and all who join us today near or far. i welcome you to the 20th remembrance ceremony of september 11 2001 here at the flight 93 national memorial. to the men and women who serve aboard the uss somerset today, and all of those active-duty members and veterans in attendance near and far, you honor us with your presence. we must never forget that there are thousands of your brethren, gravely injured, or have lost their lives in service, or as a result of their service during these past 20 years.

there loss reminds us that september 11 was not a singular event. but a day that marked a cultural paradigm shift in our country and for freedom loving people across the globe. to the families of flight 93 here and at home, honoring a loved one, my heart goes out to you. having lost a brother on september 11, i to live with a creep -- with a grief that is deep, consuming, and ever present. for those who lost loved ones and the terrorist attacks 20 years ago today, you know we can never move on. but we must continue to move forward. on september 11, 2001, we lost a total of 2977 innocent souls. that morning more than 6000

people were injured in the attack on our country. 2606 died in the world trade center. 125 at the pentagon. 246 innocent people were murdered in the four hijacked planes. 40 of which were on flight 93, brought down here in the field just outside of shanksville pennsylvania -- xl, pennsylvania. as our heroes fought to overcome the people brought to our shores that morning, to date, an additional 2000 first wrist boundaries that took part in the immediate rescue and continued recovery efforts have died from related illnesses. and with every month we continue to lose more. the ripple effect of september 11 is unfathomable. there are still many questions to be answered about the day. fax to be declassified and

released. and justice to be served. so much of september 11 involved paid, loss, terror, our lives were never to be the same. yet from the ashes of the day, stories of heroism and courage emerged, providing hope to a world adrift in fear and confusion. first responders running into burning buildings with little regard for their own safety. citizens inside those buildings refused to run from danger so that they could offer assistance and comfort to those left, knowing that their decision would cost them all but up -- but their order. and here in the skies over southwestern pennsylvania, a group of individuals, mostly strangers, when becoming aware

of what has taken place on the ground that morning found the courage to band together at a moments notice. without regard political, religious, professional or cultural different -- differences. our 40 were able to change the course of history, averting the potential of our final image that faithful day, being the capitol dome, collapsed and on fire. the greatest civil of our democracy in ruins. as the personification of that simple, our heroes and brace to the tenants of democracy that no expression of terrorism will ever extinguish e pluribus unum. out of many, one. our heroes united. they formulated a plan, when confronted by a great people --

people. -- people -- evil. they voted, on a plan of action, and there's no question that they won this first battle. 35 minutes, from the initial terrorist attack on flight 93 to the moment that the plane came down. a lifetime. a moment. forever. yesterday. here on the ground, first responders, aware of what's taking place in new york, at the pentagon, in the midst of fear and uncertainty instinctively reacting to the horror brought to their rural community in a

way that has forever altered their lives. these proud men and women of somerset county and the surrounding region that once traded everything -- demonstrated everything that is awesome about the united states of america. that is -- proud, strong, determined. the relationships are families, and our nation has forged with this community is extraordinary. to our extended family here in the somerset county region, you will forever have our complete gratitude. you have embraced us and the story of our loved ones in a selfless, fiercely protective fashion, even as you continue to move forward, carrying the pain and anguish thrust upon your community 20 years ago.

recently, i was listening to former congressman trey gowdy discussing the ultimate sacrifice made by our men and women in uniform. during his remarks i was struck by a carbon that i don't recall highlighted in prior years. it was one that i felt strongly was consistent with the story of flight 93 and all of those we lost on september 11. i experienced a moment of clarity that brought my understanding of heroism and sacrifice to an uncomfortable reality, moving me to question who we are as a society. what struck such a nerve was not the annual reminder to honor and remember the thousands of lives ripped from the embrace of their families the morning of september 11, 2001, including the 40 heroes of flight 93. but rather the question to be considered, are we worthy of

their sacrifice? are we worthy? do we, as individuals, communities, and as a country conduct ourselves in a manner that would make those that sacrificed so much and fought so hard on september 11 proud of who we have become? do we share the same willingness to sacrifice for others in little ways as well as large? to act when necessary for no other reason than to accomplish a noble goal? ego lists -- egoless and with no other motivation doing what's right. we cherish the hard earned freedoms, secured by those willing to stand toe to toe with anyone or any country willing to steal them away? the real question we must ask

ourselves is, has week, as a society, moved on and left the hard-earned lessons of september 11 behind? have we become desensitized to what happened that faithful morning? have we diminish the courageous actions of these brave men and women, these heroes we honor today at the flight 93 national memorial, as well as those in new york city and at the pentagon by relegating their stories to the history books? as a country, we should not seek to move on. but let us dedicate ourselves to moving forward, honoring, and remembering the sacrifices made on september 11. the lessons we have learned. remembering the names, the individuals, and the collective actions of so many that day. let us be worthy of the selfless

sacrifices that were made. let us remember who we became on september 12, in the aftermath of september 11. we saw beyond our differences, so that in unity we could survive the devastation of the day. the pleura wound him -- e pluribus unum, out of many, we became one. that was the inspiration of september 11, whether it was in the air or on the ground, heroism was revealed. history was made, and the course of our lives were changed forever. the path we follow is up to us. let us strive to be worthy of those we lost that morning. our 40 heroes, our loved ones,

and the thousands of other innocent lives extend wished that day and in the aftermath -- extinguished that day and in the aftermath of september 11. e pluribus unum. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, gordie. an enduring moment in the days after september 11, occurred when president george w. bush used abel horn to speak to firefighters at ground zero in new york. his words provided sorely needed encouragement to a grieving

country, a common thread of heroism running through each of the attack sites on september 11 was the devotion to duty shown by our first responders. they made the nation proud then, they continue to do that now. thank you to all of our first responders across these great united states. we are grateful for your service. [applause] i'm greatly honored to present our next speaker, the 43rd president of the united states, george w. bush. [applause]

accompanying him today is first lady laura bush, who occupies a special place in the hearts and families of flight 93. on september 17, misses bush traveled here to offer her condolences and to those of america, to the families and passengers of flight 93. president bush is -- fondly remembered by everyone involved in the effort to commemorate the heroes of flight 93 for signing the act that created this national memorial on september 24, 2002. please welcome, the 43rd president of the united states, george w. bush. pres. bush: thank you.

thank you, all. thank you very much, laura and i are honored to be with you. madam vice president, vice president cheney, governor wolf, secretary holland, and distinguished guests. 20 years ago, we all found in different ways, in different places, but all at the same moment that our lives would be changed forever. the world was loud with carnage and sirens. and then quiet with missing voices that would never be heard again. these lives remain precious to our country and infinitely precious to many of you. today, we remember your loss, we share your sorrow, and we honor

the men and women that you have loved so long and so well. for those too young to recall that clear september day, it's hard to describe the mix of feelings we experience. there was horror at the scale of destruction, and all at the bravery and kindness that rose to meet it. there was shock at the audacity of people -- evil, and gratitude for the heroism and decency opposed it. in the sacrifice of first responders, in the mutual aid of strangers, and the solidarity of reef and grace, the actions of an enemy revealed the spirit of the people. and we were proud of our wounded nation. in these memories, the passengers and crew flight 93

must always have an honored place. the intended targets became the instruments of a rescue and many who are now live away vast, unconscious debt to the defiance displayed in the skies above this field. it would be a mistake to idealize the experience of those terrible events. all that many people could initially see was the rampant nest of death. all that many could feel was on earned suffering. all that many could hear was god's terrible silence. there are many who still struggle with the lonely pain that cuts deep within. and those faithful hours, taught us other lessons as well. we saw that americans were vulnerable, but not fragile. that they possess a core of

strength that survives the worst that life could bring. we learned that bravery is more common than we imagine. emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death. we vividly felt how every hour with our loved one was a temporary and holy gift. we found that even the longest days and. many of us have tried to make spiritual sense of these events. there is no simple explanation for the mix of providence and human will that sets the direction of our lives. with comfort -- comfort can come from a different sort of knowledge. after reading it -- after wandering long and lost in the dark, many found they were walking step-by-step towards grace, as a nation, adjustments have been profound. many americans struggled to

understand why an enemy would hate us with such zeal. the security measures in court rated into our lives are sources of comfort and reminders of our vulnerability. and we have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across orders, but from violence that gathers within. there's little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and at home. but there is a disdain for pluralism and their disregard for human life, and their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same faust spirit and it's our duty to confront. after 9/11, millions of brave american stepped forward and volunteered to serve in the armed forces. the military measures taken over the last 20 years to meet

dangers at their source have led to debate. but one thing is certain, we have an assurance to all who fought our nation's most recent battles. let me speak directly to veterans and people in uniform, because -- the causing pursuit in the call of duty is the noblest america has to offer. you have shielded your fellow citizens from danger and defend the beliefs of your country. you have advance the rights of the downtrodden and have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. you have been a force for good in the world. nothing that has followed, nothing, can tarnish your own or to your accomplishments come into you went to the honored dead, our country is forever grateful. [applause]

in the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, i was proud to lead a resilient united people. when it comes to the unity of america, those days seemed distant from our own. there is a force that work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument and then a clash of cultures. so much of our politics has become an appeal to anger, year, and resentment. that leaves us worried about our nation and our few together i come without explanations or solution. i can only tell you what i have seen. on america's day of trial and grief i saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor said and rally to the cause of one another.

that's the america i know. [applause] at a time when religious bigotry might have flown freely, i saw americans reject prejudice and embrace people of muslim faith. that is the nation i know. [applause] at a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, i saw americans extend their welcome to immigrants and refugees. that is the nation i know. [applause] at a time when some in the rising generation as individualistic and decadent, i saw young people embrace an ethic of service and rise to action.

that is the nation i know. [applause] this is not mere nostalgia. it is the truest version of ourselves. it is what we have been and what we can the again. 20 years ago, terrorists chose a random group of americans on a routine flight to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror the 33 passengers and crew of flight 93 could have been any group of citizens selected by fate. in a sense, they student for us all. the terrorists soon discovered that a random group of americans is an exceptional group of facing an impossible circumstance they comforted their loved ones by phone, braced each other for action, and defeated the designs of evi

l. these americans were brave, strong, and united in ways which shocked the terrorists but should not surprise any of us. this is the nation we know. [applause] and whenever we need hope and inspiration, we can remember. god bless. [applause] >> thank you for this beautiful

and insightful words. president and misses bush have been here several times and we are delighted to have them here now that the memorial has been completed. the design for this memorial, which so beautifully frames the site is the work of paul murdoch architects. a deeply felt thank you to paul and melina who are with us today and to their entire team for envisioning the memorial that has literally sculpted the landscape in an unforgettable manner and will be visited by millions of people for generations to come. once again, thank you to them and their team. thank you, sir. how can we not embrace, to my left, the incredible minute

limit of the president's own united states marine band. formed in 1798, its america's oldest continuously active professional musical organization. think about that. its mission is to perform for the united states president and the commandant of the marine corps. we are a truly privileged -- we are truly privileged to enjoy this national treasure. please, once again join me in thanking and appreciating the incredible presidents. -- president's own. [applause] >> thank you, colonel. at this time, i am proud to welcome the secretary of the

united states department of the interior, deb haaland, the 54th person entrusted with that responsibility. she leads a department which employs more than 70,000 people whose mission it is to protect and manage this country's natural resources as well as our youthful and absolutely powerful cultural heritage. would you all please join me in welcoming secretary deb haaland. [applause] sec. haaland: thank you all, so much. president bush, thank you for your inspiring words. madam vice president, very honored to be here with you,

families, friends, active-duty service personnel, thank you so much for the opportunity to join you all on this somber anniversary. 20 years ago i was waking up to get my first grader ready for school and was stunned by the news on the radio. i rushed to turn on the tv and i watch the imagery in disbelief. like many parents, i took my child to school. the pickup line was longer than i know the parents wanted to hold their children close as long as they could. consider being in a rush to get to their next event, parents, students, teachers, and school support staff join hands around the school for a moment of silence. we mourn together. every year on this day, we remember those we lost. remember the first responders who ran