And several former us President S among those attending the ceremony. Edward l. Alegretky and my father, edward, joseph papa. Relatives have read out the names of their last loved ones. 2983 people died when the hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the pentagon out of field insurance. So pennsylvania, moments of silence are being observed across the country. In the last 20 years, my family and i have at times known unbearable Sorrow And Disbelief about the lives that would never be yours. We have fail with speaking out on my Daughters Behalf and calling on many more precautions and also for the history to be remembered. Not as numbers and a date, but the faces of ordinary people. People who look a lot like sarah, you know, as we mentioned, President Barton was among those at the memorial in New York. Hes going to be heading to ceremonies at shanks for the pentagon later by. It was not expected to speak at any of the events, but he has appealed for the us to reclaim the spirit of unity that followed 911. 00 and a video posted on the eve of the anniversary. Use. What makes us who we are. America is best to me. Thats the central lesson of september. 11th. Is that at our most vulnerable in the Push And Pull of all that makes us human and the battle for the soul of america, unity is our greatest strength. Our white house correspondent, kimberly Hall Hood is in New York, New York is a very specific place for a great many of the, the families and relatives of those who died and those, and the incident on the attacks. On september. The 11th, of course, because that is essentially where their bodies may still lie for many of their bodies were never fund. Thats right, thats what makes this such a solemn event. The fact that ground 0 is a Burial Ground for so many of the loved ones of the family members in attendance for the ceremony today. And thats why its so important to them that their names be read because they dont have the opportunity to go to a private cemetery to remember those that were lost, they must participate and do it in a very public way, this very public location. And so there have been countless tearful tribute that the us President S, democratic President S, at least brock Obama Bill clinton, and also joe by then participated in with their heads bowed. As weve mentioned, kimberly, im going to interrupt you there because Vice President , common speaking in shang, so we want to listen to what shes got to say. Feel words they are as resonant today as the words you spoke 20 years ago. Governor tom wolf, superintendent steven clark. Madam secretary and the president of the families of flight 93. 00 gordon, found it is truly an honor to be with all of you. At this field of honor, we are joined to day, of course, by the family and friends of the 40 passengers and crew members of like 93. And we stand to day with all those who lost some one. On september, 11th, 2001. And in the aftermath of the attacks, so many in our nation to many in our nation has deeply felt the passage of time these last 20 years. Every birthday, your love, one mess. Every holiday. Every time her favorite team, one or his favorite song, came on the radio. Every time youve tucked in your children or dropped them off a college, you have felt every day, every week. And every year that has passed these 20 years. So please know your nation sees you and we stand with you and we support you. We are gathered to day on how old ground, at this place that has been sanctified by sacrifice, to honor the heroism that the 40 passengers and crew members showed in the face of grave terrorism. I remember when i 1st learned about what happened on that fateful flight, what happened on flight 93. Told us then, and it still tells us so much about the courage of those on board who gave everything they possibly could about the resolve of the 1st responders who risked everything and about the resilience of the american people. On this 20th anniversary, on this solemn day of remembrance, we must challenge ourselves yes. To look back to remember for the sake of our children, for the sake of their children. And for that reason, we must also look forward. We must also look toward the future because in the end, i do believe that is what the 40 were fighting for their future. And ours, on the days that followed, September 11th, 2001. We were all reminded that unity is possible in america. We were reminded also that unity is imperative. In america, it is essential to our shared prosperity, to our national security and to our standing in the world. And by unity, i dont mean uniformity. We had differences of opinion and 2001. As we do in 2021 and i believe that in america, our diversity is our strength. At the same time, we saw after 911, how fear can be used to so division in our nation as seek and muslim americans were targeted because of how they looked or how they worshipped. But we also saw what happens when so many americans in the spirit of our nation stand in solidarity with all people and their fellow american with those who experienced violence and discrimination. When we stand together and looking back, we remember the vast majority of americans were unified in purpose, to help families here to help communities recover, to defend our nation and to keep us safe. In a time of our right terror, we turned toward each other. In the face of a stranger, we saw a neighbor and a friend that time reminded us the significance and the strength of our unity as americans. And that it is possible in america. So moments from now, we will leave this hallo place. Still carrying with us the pain of this loss is tremendous loss and spill. The future will continue to unfold. We will face new challenges, challenges that we could not have seen 20 years ago. We will seize opportunities that were at one time, unimaginative. And we know that what lies ahead is not certain. It is never certain. It has never been but i know this if we do the hard work of working together as americans, if we remain united in purpose, we will be prepared for whatever comes next. The 40 passengers and crew members of flight 93. As we all know they did. They know each other. Most of them didnt know each other. They were different people from different places. They were on that particular fight for different reasons. But they did not focus on what may separate us know. They focused on what we all share on the humanity we all share in a matter of minutes. In the most dire of circumstances, the 40 responded as one they fought for their own lives. And to save the lives of countless others at our nations capital. After today, it is my Hope And Prayer that we continue to honor their courage, their conviction. With our own that we honor their unity by strengthening our common bonds by strengthening our global partnerships. And by always living out our highest ideals, this work will not be easy, it never has been. And it will take all of us believing in who we are as a nation. And it will take all of us going forth to work together. Thank you all, may god bless you and may god bless america. Thank you. You as Vice President comma la speaking, there is school in pennsylvania. It was above the skies of st. So that the passengers and crew of united flight 93 attempt to seize control of the plane from hijackers who had taken attempted to take control of it. And subsequently the plane fell into a local field in pennsylvania. Lets bring in allan fisher, whos joining us from Shank Spill in pennsylvania island, the Vice President , theyre speaking initially to the relatives of those who had been on united flight 23 using your nation sees you. We stand with you and we support you, but then she went on to say, if we do the hard work of working together as americans, if we are united in purpose, we will be prepared for whatever comes next. The topic of unity, very much key to this speech that shes made. Exactly. And also from George Bush high school before it was at the very much like that. Clear blue skies and the trees were standing if they always stood when suddenly the plane emerged out of the sky heading towards washington. But the pilot who was in charge of one of the hijackers realized that the people on board were determined to take control of the plane, realizing that his Mission Wouldnt be fulfilled, he draw of the plane into the ground at 900 kilometers. Our come along said that in the days after that a medical united and she said that is what the country needs know. She said, not uniformity. People will have differences of opinion, but she pointed to the 40 passengers and crew didnt know each other largely who came together in one united purpose, which was to try and save their lives to try and take back control to the plane. But to save lives of the place that the hijackers were targeting, they didnt know where that was, but they werent aware that 2 planes that hit the World Trade Center in New York. And one had hit the pentagon in virginia. So they knew that this wasnt a plane that was going to line, this was a plane that was on a suicide mission. She said, unity is possible. In fact, she said it is imperative. And she said diversity is our strength. It is hard work. But people have to come together. It echoed what George Bush, the president back 20 years ago, said in his speech, when he talked about the differences in american political life. But the moment how everything seemed to be left again, right . My opinion, against your opinion, of everything seemed to be a culture war decision. But he said in the days after 911. 00 america came together and it needs more of that. Well, these appeals make any difference, maybe to 2 or 3 people somewhere across the United States. But we all know the politics here in the us is very much divisive. Even on this, the people are talking about joe biden, and weve had that from donald trump, not acting as competent chief, but talking about 911. 00 and using it as an occasion to beat up on the current occupant of the oval office. Seeing that the withdrawal from afghanistan was a disaster, and trump supporters will rally around that, and they will like that. And they will appreciate that. So these calls immunity both the Vice President and the 43rd president. Although coming from a place of honor of bravery of cottage, of somewhere that america almost universally acknowledges as a secret place, its going to have very little impact on the d to the politics of the United States. Perhaps this is a day when america comes together to remember what happened 20 years ago. Come to morrow come monday. Its almost certainly going to be business as usual. And thank you very much indeed that Allen Fisher in pennsylvania for us. Now there have been of course commemorations which have been happening not only in georgia, but also in New York as well as the pentagon. I want to speak to brian clark, whos in new jersey. He was working on the 84th floor of the South Tower in New York when the plane struck just a few floors blow. Thank you very much. Indeed for being with us on all the 0. When you think back to that day, what are the images and sounds and feelings that immediately come to you . Well, it was all surprise, you know, it was we all went to work that day, expecting it to be a normal Day And Everything changed in a hurry. You know, i was left after the day with the knowledge that reconfirm that you cannot predict the future with any certainty. From moment to moment. We didnt know what was going to happen next once that 1st Plane hit next door and i was in the South Tower. The 1st Plane hit the North Tower and we didnt know what had happened. But we knew something was wrong. And the day just kept unfolding mystery after Mystery Event after events, and im just grateful and eternally grateful that im a survivor. But our company, last 61, people that day out of our 250 New York employees. So it was a shock to the system, the shop, to families and weve, weve lived with that for 20 years. Talk us through briefly. If you dont mind what actually happened to you on the day that the plane struck while it hit next door, or suddenly there were flames outside my window. I didnt know where they had come from. I gathered up a group of people on our floor and said, you know, go to the Center Hall and await further instructions. I walked to the North Wall and saw that there was this ring of fire around the 93rd floor of the building next door. I went back to my office and i called my wife at home. I told my father in toronto said, turn on the tv. Something happened next door. When i finished that conversation with them, i put the phone down, went out of my office and was talking with a co worker who had come up the stairs because an announcement was made in our building. The building to is secure. You may return to your offices, theres no need to evacuate. That sort of thing. The announcement coming from the, the Port Authority public address system. It wasnt our internal announcement. It was a building wide announcement. And bobby had come up the stairs hearing the announcement. And while he was telling me that, boom boom, that double explosion, Play And Hitting are a Building Explosion inside. Now i didnt know what had happened at that instant, but i knew in a Split 2nd that it was terrorism. Our floor just fell apart. I led a group into the stairway and we started now we only went down 3 floors when i heard a noise inside the 1st floor and a debate began on on our landing. Should we go higher . Should we go lower . A woman had come up from below, telling us you cannot go down, theres flames and smoke. But as my co workers started up the stairs, i went in on the 1st floor and found a stranger, a complete Stranger Sort of buried in the rebel. I dug him out, we came back to the stairs and i shot my flashlight, which i have been my pocket. Shawn that down the stairs all i saw was smoke coming up. I didnt see flanes. And so we started down myself and my new best friends, family, pray me, this a complete stranger. And down we went, there were a few events on the way down, but we got out of the building at about 5 minutes to 10 and made it up 2 or 3 blocks south of the World Trade Center site. And stanley turned around, looked up at the tower and said, i think that building could come down. And i said, i dont think so. Thats a steel structure. And as i said that right at the top, it gave a little wiggle. And boom, boom, boom, 8 to 10 seconds. The whole building collapsed. So you tell me, the building was 5 minutes to spare. You tell the story so vividly. Clearly the memory is very, very stock with you. In terms of you as a person, how did it affect you . How did it affect your personality or your view of life . I think i was given a gift. I cant explain it and i take no credit for it. I was given this gift that i, i spent the entire day in an objective mode. I wasnt frozen in fear or terror. I was able to act. I consider it rationally at the time. I have not had one nightmare since the event. I feel like i have no Survivors Guild and i know that may sound cold, many people, but im just being honest thats. Thats how its rolled out for me. So im very grateful for that. Ive been able to tell my story, i tell the business groups the churches and schools charities and so on. Ive been telling the story for 20 years and its left me with this feeling that the whole event was unnecessary. It was, im left with sadness that so many innocent people died. And what was the point of it all . We go, we human this, unfortunately go to war. And the results after the war sometimes changed dramatically. I, i think as an example of the 2nd world war, where the allies were opposed to germany, italy and japan. And yet, you know, not many years later, were all allies together. Its, its, this war is folly. If you like these, these to go to what, let me ask you about the, the, the immediate aftermath of the event as the details began to come out of what actually happened. And there were rumors of who might have been behind it. What was your reaction . Did you have any sense of blame of wanting your country to take action against the people who had carried this out . I think one has the right and i wouldnt want to say one. It can be individual or can be a country to defend Ones Self and protect Ones Self. If aggression has been taken against you. So i dont deny that there needed to be action taken to find the perpetrators. And i dont know that inflict punishment would be my goal, but find out who these people were and figure out why they were taking the actions they did. In other words, the, the conclusion might be, we need a lot of dialogue with, with anyone who is different than us to figure out what are those cultural differences. Why are you concerned about us . Heres what we dont like about you, but, but talk about it rather than shoot at each other. We really appreciate you taking the time to be with us on Al Jazeera on this particular day. Brian clark, thank you very much indeed for your time. Youre very welcome. Thank you. Well, the, you as quickly blamed Al Qaeda for the coordinated attacks and launched a military campaign in afghanistan to talk to groups, Leadership And Training camps. Rob reynolds looks at the aftermath of the events. A one, a whisper in the President S Ear Set in motion actions that changed the us and the world. 3 days after the attack, president George Bush stood a top the rubble of lower manhattan and promised retribution. I know the arrest can alone. And of the people who are not all of us soon, the blame immediately fell on Osama Bin ladens tie the organization based in afghanistan, which had already carried out several deadly attacks on us targets abroad. Less than a month after the attacks, the u. S. Began military action in afghanistan been lot in the skate, but was tracked down in pakistan nearly a decade later, the United States has conducted an operation that killed or some of been lawton, the leader of volcano. But even with bin laden dead, the war in afghanistan dragged on for another 10 years ending in a tolerable victory. The September 11th attacks were a profound shock with images playing out on t. V. In the Aftermath Wall makers rushed to overhaul national security laws with little or no debate. The events of 911 really frightened people enough and i dont think many people ever read the Patriot Act and realized really how profoundly it changed what government is able to do in terms of tracking and conducting surveillance on american citizens. For many americans, the closest contact with the new enhanced Security State came at the airport. The magnetometers, the metal detector, the X Ray machines, you had to start having your id scrutinized, and then taking off your shoes. The limitations on was and then finally in 2010, the full body scanner, things that few americans would have contemplated before now were widely accepted. The government initially was intercepting virtually all of the metadata on all of our emails and telephone conversations without any warrants. This was just drag net surveillance, the invasion of iraq in 2003 over through saddam hussein, who was later captured and executed. But it produced no weapons of mass destruction. 200000 rockies, and more than 4000 us troops were killed. The naval base at guantanamo bay, cuba became a prison where so called enemy combatants were held indefinitely. Some remain there to this day. A color coded system of threats was introduced, keeping citizens on edge. That was the goal, frightened, the american people, you know, inflate the risk factor, Amelion Fold and N P O l. Well, we have to accept this, because otherwise theyll be bodies on the sidewalks and on the streets and everywhere else, the abuse of detainees by us soldiers at Abu Ghraib Prison in iraq, appalled many in the us and around the globe. But at the same time, in the u. S. Veneration of the military grew, we have sort of fetishizing the military over the last 20 years. We have no idea of the long term impact of having people who have grown up entirely during a War Period or people whose entire adult life has been serving in a War Zone for President S and 2 wars later, the u. S. Is a far different country from the one that existed 20 years ago. Rob rentals Al Jazeera, lets bring in bruce hoffman, who served in the 911 review commission. Hes now a senior fellow, a Counter Terrorism Homeland security at the council on foreign relations. Hes joining us from washington, d. C. T. Good, happy with us on ill just to thank you very much. Indeed. We heard President George W Bush Alley around the saying that the so called war on terror. The action that had been taken subsequently to, to the attacks of september, the 11th hides produced debate. He said it, there is an argument for suggesting that to some degree it has been successful. In the reason im saying that im quoting daniel benjamin, the State Department Coordinator for Counter Terrorism in the obama administration, saying, if youd set on 912 that we dont have 100 people killed by a haughty terrorism. And only one foreign terrorist attack in United States over the next 20 years, youd have been left out of the room, but that appears to be the case. So is it fair to say that the subsequent action that was taken by the u. S. Has failed to say that its that its failed and i think this war has Drag Dawn much longer than anyone for anticipated in that in large measure is a product of a series of certainly very serious and grievous miss miss steps. But i think that, you know, its, its a balance sheet. Basically. Do you think that be the ongoing battle for that is see appears to be going on between the United States and several other parts of the world is overshadowed by events like the, the war in iraq. Like the departure from a Gun Stand and the subsequent incidents there. That in fact, that the ongoing campaign against terrorism is actually functioning reasonably well, except that it is, as i say, overshadowed by big events. Well, it is overshadowed by, by big events. And one wishes really that we were back 20 years ago when the United States the world that asked and said one enemy in one place, which was Al Qaeda in afghanistan as opposed to today, where we not only have all kinds of but also isis. And they have spawns many branches and franchises that are in africa, the middle east of the balkans, the caucasus south, asian se, asia. So we face perhaps a more diffuse threat and a very stubborn threat. Am one that still remains highly challenging in the face of those threats is the us going to have to start . We thinking the way it approaches the strategy towards Counter Terrorism around the world . Well, it obviously already has president by, has made a number of faithful decisions, not least the, the withdrawal from afghanistan and the implementation of, of an over the arise and strategy. Just very briefly. So if you can tell me, and this is an all listed question and i apologize, but very quickly unfortunately, im afraid we lost the the signal there to bruce, but were going to carry on with some other