speech he made early on where he talked about the silent artillery of time. for the families, friends, and loved ones of those who died on 9/11, may be silent artillery of time help to diminish their pain and grief. but time will never diminish the respect we have for the memory of those who perished and those who came to their rescue. 10 years ago, we lost many people. today and in the future, we will never forget them. that is for sure. the tragedy of september 11 will always be emblazoned in the hearts, minds, and on the character of america. i join our chaplain in invoking god's blessing on the memory of those we lost. may god bless our first responders, all of you and those who serve, and your families.

may god continue to bless the united states of america. when i leave here, i will go to the airport and go to new york to be part of our congressional delegation to join the president in the observance at ground zero. i will take with me in the profound statements and sentiments i see here today and see every day in response to 9/11. thank you for that connection to our great country and that concern for the american people. again, may god bless you. may god bless america. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, speaker. i would like to introduce our next speaker, the chief of the firefighters, chief joanne hayes-white. [applause]

>> good morning. thank you for all being here. i would like to acknowledge the president of the police officers association and the president of local 798. captain tom o'connor. thank you for organizing this even today. i would also like to acknowledge mayor lee and congresswoman pelosi for your unwavering support for our members and first responders and always prioritizing public safety. as we reflect on the tragedy of september 11, 2001, we will never forget that nearly 3000 innocent victims lost their lives and the soul of the nation was changed forever. we have vividly remember the horrific sides of the world trade center in new york, at the pentagon in virginia, and at the crash site in pennsylvania. hundreds of those who perished

where people sworn to serve and protect. 343 firefighters, 50 law enforcement officers, 37 from the port authority pd, and others from new york pd. we each remember that day. we remember the tragedy we face as a nation under attack. we also remember how we came together a san franciscans, neighbors, and partners. the city came together as a family to ensure that all those were safe and that our loved ones were free from harm. one of the most important ways to honor the memory of the innocent victims is to continue to strengthen our collective effort, to maintain vigilance, to enhance our preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. it is a shared responsibility. we all play a role in being resilienct neighborhoods, citie, and states that are a foundation for a strong nation. we can accomplish much more when we work together.

over the last decade, incredible progress has been made in integrating collaboration into our culture. i see the elements of the nerd program. the red cross is here today. thank you for being here today and being part of the solution and effort. >> the chief of police. >> good morning. i would also like to thank you for joining us here today as we honor the americans lost their lives 10 years ago. is an american tradition to honor fellow citizens who have made the ultimate sacrifice. congresswoman pelosi quoted abraham lincoln earlier. i think what he also said 150 years at the dedication of the national cemetery at gettysburg applies as much today as it did then. lincoln said that the world will little note nor long remember what we said here, but it can

never forget what they did. over 2900 people were killed 10 years ago in the attacks on the world trade center. for the 16 of those who perished or our brother and sister firefighters -- 416 of those who perished work our brother and sister firefighters. 25,000 other lives worse. because of them. none of us will ever forget where we were on the morning of september 11, 2001. at police headquarters in san francisco, we watched in horror as the images were replayed on every channel. we learned one of the airplane is believed to be hijacked was heading to san this is good. later, we learned flight 93 went down in pennsylvania. in the days that followed, we heard stories of incredible heroism in which the passengers engaged and saved the lives of others. as we came to grips with the

events of that day, a recurring theme emerged. all those police officers and firefighters rushed into the burning buildings as everyone else was trying to get out. i think we were equally surprised at fire stations and police departments around the country. what did they think we would do? as first responders, we are sworn to russia in 1 everyone rushes out. that is what we do every day -- we are sworn to rushed in with everyone else rushes out. that is what we do every day. we're proud to be police and firefighters. we were also proud to be americans. we remember the sacrifices made that day. let us remember again the words of abraham lincoln that we show increased devotion to the cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion trade

we will highly resolve that these dead will not have died in vain. this will be with us every day. remember how we came together as a country 10 years ago? young people volunteered in record numbers to defend this country. american flags seemed to be everywhere almost in an instant. they adorned every uniform, clifford every house, every car antenna, and were spread -- flew from every house and car antennae. the public said thank you in every way they could. we need to come together and stay together to keep the memory of our fallen brethren alive. we are committed to making this city safe. i want to thank everyone who made today's remembrance

possible. i pray that we always remember 10 years ago today so that the memory of those who perished will never be forgotten. [applause] >> the president of the san francisco firefighters local 798. [applause] >> 10 septembers have come and gone. no changing of the season's can erase the images of that day. no passage of time to take away the meaning of this moment. again we pause and remember. we remember the lives lost. on the day that marks the senseless deaths, we try to recall the beauty of the lives the victims lived. the memorial's today and tomorrow allow us to remember their time on earth and tell their families and loved ones we have not forgotten them and that

we never will. we especially on those who gave their lives so that others could live. we are the brave men and women who rushed into harm's way. we pay tribute to the sacrifice made and the courage displayed by police officers and firefighters rushing into the burning towers and pentagon. we watched in horror as the towers collapsed knowing that our colleagues were inside. those are acts of heroism the nation will never forget. it is natural for us to focus on those images and that morning. throughout history, images serve as defining moments. the images of the airplanes crashing into the towers, the debris cascaded through manhattan, the smoke rising from the pentagon, and firefighters and police officers rushing upstairs while others rushed out. there are other images we should remember as well. there are images from the days after september 11. a young boy wearing a plastic

fire helmet standing guard. a little girl leaving flowers outside american embassy in moscow. candlelight vigils held across the world. 100,000 canadians gathering in ottawa, all of these people sharing and our sorrow. the images we should remember our that the most terrific ax imagine brought out the most noble among those around the globe. today it brings out the most noble again. let us stand strong with that spirit. let us not focus on the evil of that day but on the capacity for that dwells inside all of us. that may be the greatest moral we can participate in for those who perished. that may be the greatest way to honor all of those who were taken from us on that day. let us focus on our impulse to say, serve, and demonstrate compassion and understanding.

iseptember10 septembers have cod gone and left the fat-- left usa legacy to remember and serve others. that is our duty for this september and for a lifetime of septembers. thank you. [applause] >> in the years that have followed 9/11, our country has faced many challenges. despite two assertions and our 10-year involvement in the middle east, much controversy and paint has taken place --

much controversy and pain has taken place. we must remember that there is more that unites us than divides us and their release has been. in the sons and daughters of the greatest generation, being part of a democracy that was created by immigrants and maintained over the last 250 years by americans, we have found ourselves to be strong, determined, powerful, and brazilian people whose strength has been and always will be our diversity and the democratic process that allows us to debate and express our ideas in a free and open society. we thank all of you very much today for coming here and sharing with us on our day of solemn remembrance of 9/11, 200 1.

i think we have heard sirens behind us at least five times. we have heard officers responding to the needs of san franciscans. that is what we will continue to do to are the people of san francisco. i would ask all of us to join the velvet voice of the sfpd in singing "god bless america. " >> >> ♪ us swear allegiance to a land that is free let us all be grateful for a land sof fair as we raise our voices

in a solemn prayer 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, my home -- our home sweet home ♪

[applause]

>> present arms. ♪ [bugles playing "taps"] ♪

♪ [bagpipes adnd drums] ♪