♪

>> ♪ o! 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 o! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪

>> please be seated. no sleep president of the san

francisco police officers association, and we thank you all, police services, firefighters, dignitaries, elected officials, for joining us today on this solemn occasion in this very solemn weekend of remembrance of one of the worst and tragic events in the history of our country. so we wanted to make this quick. we wanted to make it respectful, and we wanted to make it a very solemn occasion, which i think is the way it should be treated. the first thing that we're going to do here today, i know i asked everybody to sit down, but i will ask you to stand up again to observe a moment of silence for all of those that lost their lives on 9/11. >> thank you.

years ago, in the san francisco fire department, when a firefighter was killed in the line of duty, bells are rung nine times at each fire house throughout the city. this was known as the chaplains call. in honor of this tradition, firefighter gregory ginatti will now ring the bell nine times for the firefighters and police officers who gave their lives on 9/11. [bell rings nine times] >> thank you, greg.

now for the invocation. i would like to introduce father john green, chaplain of the san francisco firefighters, and the chaplain for the san francisco police department for the invocation. >> we live among heroes, the heroes of the past, those firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, and civilians who gave their lives on 9/11. we live among heroes today as we remember tony and vinnie, firefighters who gave their lives for our city this past june. we remember all of us who have served the city daily, giving our lives in service to our fellow citizens and giving of ourselves in many different

ways. we live among heroes. today, we do not assemble so much with a sense of grief for those who have given their lives as much as with a sense of pride that they did their jobs well and they gave their all. as we gather together in this city, we ask almighty god to remember us and bless those who have been heroic in the past, those who are heroic today, and in a real sense, to give us the strength, the honor, the dignity, the pride, and the courage of the san francisco police officers and firefighters. it is a great pleasure now for me to introduce my friend and fellow priest, father michael

healy, who will lead you in prayer. >> i would like to share with you this morning the beautiful prayer that was composed for the holy father the pope benedict when he visited the site in new york on 9/11. and so in this prayer, we are asked also to look at ourselves and the way in which we treat this tragic situation. i was very much impressed by one of the firefighters who said about her colleagues that she had a hole in her heart, but

that it was important for her to fill that with all of the great memories of the wonderful people who served with her and also the sacrifice that they made. the holy father in going to 9/11 came with this prayer. we can all join in it. we have to use our imagination a little bit because i am going to mention places where the tragedy took place. god of peace, bring your peace to the vile world, the hearts of men and women, and to all nations. god of love, compassion, and healing, look upon us who gather here today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain. we ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to

all who have died, the first responders, the firefighters, the police officers, emergency service workers, and port authority personnel. along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work of service brought them here on september 11. we ask you in your compassion to bring healing to those who because of their presence here today suffere from injuries and illness. heal the pain of those still grieving families and all of those who lost loved ones in this tragedy. give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope. we're mindful of those who suffered death, injury, and loss.

on the same day in the pentagon and in shanksville, pennsylvania. our hearts are one with theirs. bring your peace to our by low world, to the hearts of all men and women, and among the nations of this earth. turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred. god of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events. grant that those whose lives worse. it may live so that the lives lost year may not have been lost in vain -- whose lives were lost may lives of the allies lost -- the lives lost may not

have been lost in vain. let true peace and love rain in the hearts of all. amen. >> thank you, father. we're honored today to have dignitaries with us that i would like to acknowledge. i would like to knowledge congresswoman nancy pelosi. she has joined us. she is needed back in d.c. for the 9/11 celebration. she wanted to take time today to be with us to share in this day and remember this with her city. remember this -- she wanted to take time to share in this day of remembering with her city. mayor lee is with us today. we would be remiss in not giving

a special in allahu -- acknowledgment to former mayor willie brown whose strong and steady leadership, the strong leadership of the mayors of the city's got us through a difficult time. we thank you very much for that, mr. brown. we also have with us today district attorney george gascon. we appreciate your being with us. we have supervisor emeritus sean elsbernd. the treasurer of the city and county of san francisco is here today. we also have my predecessor at the poa, chris cuddy.

we have the u.s. attorney here, i believe. melinda haig, we really appreciate you being here to share this special day with us. also joining us on the podium is the chief of police, the fire chief is here as well. i got a call yesterday from governor brown who could not be here. he wanted to be here. this is the city that mr. brown came from. he wanted to be here, but duties in sacramento on the 9/11 weekend kept him busy. our first speaker today -- i am honored and proud to introduce the mayor of san francisco, edwin lee. [applause]

>> good morning. it is my personal honor to join you to commemorate 9/11 from our police, fire, paramedics, volunteers coming to grips citizens of san francisco. a decade after the terrorist attacks that occurred on september 11, we continue the struggle to make sense of the terrible events of that day. san francisco is more than 3,000 miles away from the attacks. we felt the devastation and loss keenly here in the city. we will continue to remember and honor those who perished. it is important to me and the people of san francisco that we remember and honor the fallen, including hometown heroes like

betty and mark. betty's phone call was the first indication that america was under attack. she relayed vital information to the ground crew. mark wrestled with control of flight 93 rather than allow hijackers to fulfill their mission. 10 years ago, we also learned about the final moments of san francisco resident melissa's hughes who was a victim of terrorism in the towers. to read about her final moments is just as heartbreaking today as it was 10 years ago. events of september 11, 2001, changed the world and redefined our nation in the scope of the tragedy and also in the demonstration of to pass in -- compassion and generation in the days and weeks that

followed. around the country come individuals stepped up to give blood, collect donations, and volunteer their time as a show of support for our nation. to all of the families across the nation who suffered and still suffer today, we offer our profound sympathy y. i also want to knowledge the regional administrator, formerly the director of our department of the environment. i want to recognize them for their important role falling 9/11. the epa conducted much of the hazardous materials assessment and cleanup that occurred on the side of the world trade center. this was a massive undertaking. i thank them for their role in the 9/11 post-event cleanup. while we remember these and other victims, we should take time to reflect on what 9/11 means for all of us and to take

to heart president obama's call to us to come together in the spirit of service and unity. there are many events in san francisco on september 11 that helpless to do that while we honor the victims and celebrate the service and heroism of our first responders and military personnel. one such way is to commemorate the day with a peaceful and unifying nature of music. the san francisco opera and intra-based council will host a special free concert in golden gate park. there will be a day of service where we will participate in volunteer projects throughout our city. another way we can remember and honor the tragic events of 10 years ago is to make sure that our city, the families, and individuals are prepared for emergencies whether man-made or natural disasters. september marks national

prepared this month -- prepared ness month. the city website stands ready to assist you in making a family plan, building a disaster kit, or getting volunteer training. san francisco has greatly improved its ability to prepare for, respond to emergencies. this month announced a public safety communications system after the bay area was awarded a $50 million grant to build a broadband communications network for public safety agencies. we know that emergencies do not stop a city borders. we must be prepared to seamlessly communicate with other public safety personnel throughout the bay area. we have also strengthened our infrastructure, trained our personnel, and are preparing the

community to rapidly recovered from any emergency. it is now 10 years later and we are prepared, stronger, and ready. the 9/11 attacks represent an unimaginable tragedy in the history of our country. at the same time, the lessons learned from that day continue to help us grow and become stronger. i want to personally thank our men and women, the first responders to protect us from grave danger and keep our country say. these first responders risked their lives for us daily. from the police officers who protect us and the firefighters who courageously keep us from harm, the paramedics who care for us, our words cannot describe our thankfulness for your heroism every day and the sacrifices you have undertaken to keep our communities, our city, and our country safe.

i think you and honor you -- i thank you and honor you on this day. i would like to ask the chief of the police and the firefighters, the union leaders, to please come up and present his proclamation to you. on behalf of our city, i declare 9/11 to be the day of service and remember thirance in san fro and clear this proclamation for that. -- and clare -- declare this proclamation for that. [applause]

>> next, we're honored to present congresswoman nancy pelosi. [applause] >> thank you very much. lt. tom o'connor is the president of the firefighters 798. thank you all for bringing us together today. it is an honor to join you to mark this ceremony with the esteemed collection of our leaders, the former mayor, the official family of our community, to join mayor lee, the police chief, and the fire chief. i join the mayor and acknowledging and thanking all of our first responders and

their families for helping us to honor our first responsibility to the people, that is to keep them safe. when we visit the memory of september 11, we tread on sacred ground. on that day 10 years ago, california was a weekend to a changed world, to scenes of a horrific attack on our nation. we each have stories to tell of where we were and how we found out about it. across the country, despite our individual stories, we were all united. we were bound by grief and sorrow. we were driven by resolve. we were inspired by our fellow americans to be together and be strong. as we watched the images of destruction in new york, washington, and pennsylvania, we all bore witness to courage, to the bravery and heroism of our first responders, the men and

women who ran to the rescue of those in danger, who searched for survivors and risked their lives and health to save others. long after the building's bell, these heroes stayed to sift through the rubble -- long after the buildings fell, these heroes stayed to sift through the rubble. in the aftermath of 9/11, immediately san franciscans took pride in knowing that our firefighters were on the first airplane out to new york to contribute to the rescue and recovery, to share in the grief, and to lend a helping hand. every day is a day we are indebted to our first responders, our men and women in uniform who keep us safe. weeks ago, we all came together to honor benny and tony. we honor them every day.

we know that we are in your debt because every day you take risks for us. for all those who responded to 9/11, that is why the president signed the health and composition at to secure the health and well-being of those who cleaned up at ground zero after 9/11. it is by the light of their example that americans joined in a national day of service and remembrance to mark this anniversary. i commend our first responders here for making this second saturday in september a day of service. it happens to coincide this year with the eve of 9/11. earlier this year, members of congress and people from across the country -- we had the

privilege to help stitch the flag that flew over ground zero on that fateful day. some people decided they would have the flag for the country. everyplace it went, it was mended with portions of other flags, with fragments of our history. for those of us who have the privilege of stitching the fly, included blue threads from the flag that cover the body of abraham lincoln after he was assassinated. that was another great tragedy that befell our nation. think of it, been unified across the generations, across the country, across communities, by this flag. when i saw the blue threads from abraham lincoln's memorial