Steven joseph bates. Paul James Battaglia W. David Bauer Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista marlyn c. Bautista Mark Lawrence bevis. Jasper Baxter Marine G. Bey Michele Beale Paul F. Beatini Todd M. Beamer. Jane s. Beatty allen anthony beaven. Larry i. Beck Manette Marie Beckles Carl John badisian. Michael beekman and my uncle thomas f. Swift, We Love You and we miss you, you live on in our hearts and the hearts of mind of your family and we think about you every day. And i cant wait to meet you again. And my brother Tj Hargrave who we continue to miss and love every day. The world is a lesser place without you. Maria Behr Max Dray bilky. Yelena Belilovsky Nina Patrice Bell Debbie s. Bellows. Stephen Elliot Belson Paul Michael Benedetti Denise Lenore Benedetto Ryan Craig bennet. Eric l. Bennet. Oliver bennet. Margaret l. Benson dominick j. Berardi james Patrick Berger Steven Howard Berger John P. Bergin Alvin Bergsohn Daniel D. Bergstein graham andrew gregory. Michael j. Berkeley Donna M. Bernaerts. David w. Bernard. [Bell Ringing ]. A blessing for our Brothers And Sisters. And families. Their friends and their Loved Ones. This is ill see you in my dreams. The road is long and seeming without end the days go on and ill remember you, my friend. And though youre gone in my heart, youre there it seems ill see you in my dreams i got the old guitar there by my bed all your favorite records and all the books that you read and though my soul feels like its been split forever ill see you in my dreams ill see you in my dreams when the summers come to an end ill see you in my dreams well meet and live and love again ill see you in my dreams around the River Bend for death is not the end because ill see you in my dreams ill see you in my dreams when the summers come to an end ill see you in my dreams well meet and live and love again ill see you in my dreams around the River Bend for death is not the end and ill see you in my dreams you in my dreams ill see you in my dreams Bruce Springsteen from across the river, in New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen from across the river in New Jersey, singing ill see you in my dreams there in Moments Pentagon Leaders will speak in washington, as the nation remembers and well bring you there. 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Better starts with breyers. Listerine® cleans virtually 100 . Helping to prevent Gum Disease and bad breath. Never settle for 25 . Always go for 100. Bring out the bold™ welcome back to cnn special Live Coverage of the 9 11 memorial services, President Biden and former president s obama and clinton are here in New York, im here with garrett, and julia, to talk about what we just heard and i just want to take a moment to note, we just heard Bruce Springsteen, who is famously from across the river, in New Jersey, and New Jersey lost 750 residents on 9 11, while this was a tragic experience in New York city, in washington, d. C. , and in shanksville, pennsylvania, the pain spreads out all over the country. Thats exactly right. And i think, what i think a lot of us are feeling are all of the disunion we feel now, right . All of the sort of fights and the disagreements, that we are, were unified in grief, which we still as a nation have the capacity to do, which maybe good or bad, depending on how you look at it, but i think just the fissures that have killed since 9 11, since that moment of unity, i think are made better over time, each day, this day, for the last 20 years, i think the thing that was sort of breathtaking was the names. Names that sound like they come from mexico, and columbia, and brazil, and ireland, and just the nations represented through immigration, that in this country, who perished that day, and that is who we are, and even though there is xenophobia and antiimmigrant sentiment and antiislam sentiment as a result of 9 11, the people who died represented the globe. Yes, and you know, i think to your point, jake, about the pain in New Jersey, when we talk about this new generation, who dont remember 9 11, we tell them this very neat and simple history of the day, the four planes that first attacked at 8 46, the whole thing over 106 minutes later with the collapse of the second tower and the washington, d. C. And pennsylvania, and the Twin Towers in New York but that is not a day we remember who were alive that day like that, we didnt know the attacks had been, we didnt know how many there had been and we didnt know what came next, and this was not on 9 11 a day that felt contained to New York, washington, and pennsylvania. You know, there were citizens of 90 countries who died that day, and you had skyscrapers evacuated in boston, and in chicago, and los angeles, and disney closed, in florida, this was something that we felt Coast To coast, the tremors of that day, and so your focus, call it the only plane in the sky, there was no Air Travel for several days. And this is the question that no one in my field can answer. Why didnt this lead to just an onslaught of terrorism, global Terrorism And Part of it is obviously the war in afghanistan, the destruction of Al Qaeda, the Homeland Security Effort to protect ourselves, a whole bunch of different things came together, but no attack of significant magnitude happened. Not that they didnt try. And also, you know, i thought in these weeks after, 40 Suicide Bombers were going to show up at 40 suburban malls and blow themselves up, like that didnt happen. What it did unleash is what we call gwot, and the global war on terrorism, with the wars in Iraq And Afghanistan and we didnt know what that meant and that day, we believed we would be under assault for a certain amount of time and we then for 20 years really pushed i think a lot of the, lets just say a lot of the anger and a lot of sense of vulnerability into afghanistan, and of course later to iraq, which is sort of an unwritten piece, and were not talking about it as much, 20 years later, as we probably should, the extent to which the War In Iraq really changed the effort against terrorism. I have a documentary that is airing Tomorrow Night on cnn, 9 00 eastern, on the war in afghanistan. We interviewed eight of the commanding generals. General mccrystal, who was our commanding general from roughly 2009 to 2010, he said something very interesting, he said he thought that he could go back and do it all over again and the generals i have to say whatever you think of them and how honest the pentagon and the various administrations have been with the american people and we will get that to that in the documentary the generals were pretty candid and one of the things that mccrystal said and i thought was interesting, if we could do it again, he would have the united states of america after 9 11 take a breath, take a year, learn erdo, have individuals in the Military And State department, become experts at least to the degree you can within a year and pause, not rush to do something. And i pointed out, i think accurately, that any president that attempted to do that would be impeached, you know, that there was such a demand for vengeance, and yet, in retrospect, you know, while i cant argue against the decision to go after Al Qaeda, in retrospect, i cant say that taking a breath and trying to figure out ho do th, how to do things the right way and not the quick way, should be the legacy of 9 11. We shouldnt forget that President Bush asked for War Plan Force Iraq December in 2001, three or four months, would he were headed to our second war by then. When you look at the u. S. Governments response now, 20 years of hindsight and clarity, it is clear we misunderestimated, in President Bushs words, before 9 11 and then after 9 11, this was not a vast army, this was an organization of about 100 people and to go after that attack, to sort of all encompassing 20year war in multiple countries Around The World and here we are 20 years later and more adherence to Al Qaeda and the franchises, in more places, in more adversaries Around The World than we had on 9 11. And i think, i dont think that there is anything more we can do as a nation that will honor the memories of those who died on 9 11, and since, because weve now lost more people to 9 11related illnesses, than having these discussions and these debates in a thoughtful and respectful way, with people whom we disagree and sussing out all sorts of what happens after that, and what happens after that, and whats the best way to do this, instead of this is the only response. Right. And if you dont believe in this response, you know, you dont support america and youre unpatriotic. Its very important, wolf, that we honor their memories, by behaving the way that i think a lot would want us to behave. Wolf . Absolutely. And learn the lessons of these 20 years, to make sure it doesnt happen again. And if it happens, we do it absolutely perfectly, those are so, so important. The ceremony to remember the dozens of americans killed here at the pentagon, the headquarters of the u. S. Military, the ceremonies are under way, i want to discuss whats going on, i want to bring back Dana Bash and Kaitlan Collins and i think one of most interesting things that has happened over the last several month, the enormous pressure on President Biden to release classified documents involving saudi arabia, 15 of the 19 hijackers were saudis, and theres a lot of concern, whats in that classified information, that the u. S. Has decided all of these years to keep quiet . And today it is obviously about the family and thats is the first thing we have heard from them for years, to push for the declassification of the documents, they want to know about the saudi connection, they want to know what these classified documents say, and its been something that has been, something brought up with every president since President Bush, and remember in 2019 then attorney general Bill Barr did not move to declassify those documents saying they needed to stay classified to protect national security, that was something that stunned a lot of these families, and it was a Campaign Trail Promise from President Biden to move, he said he would err on the side of disclosure, when it came to these documents and some of the families actually had talked about this recently when it came to what were the president s plans for this day, and so you saw recently, he did move to declassify some of these, by having the Justice Department Conduct this review over the next six months. Its not clear entirely what will come out of that, but there could be more information learned. And this is something really important, to these families, who as they were saying there, reading the names of their Loved Ones, yes it has been 20 years but for a lot of them, it seems like just yesterday and this is something they want to know more about when it comes to these documents. John, everything, right across the river, from washington, d. C. , but were right down the street from reagan national airport, and every few minutes, a plane is flying over. And i dont know about you, but every time i hear those jets roar, it brings back memories, god forbid of what happened 20 years ago. It has become routine again to have these flights but on this day when we all sat down here it was striking to hear the roar of the Jet Engines so close to this building. I was looking at the 9 11 report and a Book Wran by a good friend of mine and when the Plane Hit this building it was traveling 530 miles an hour and all of the gallons of Jet Fuel and it struck over our left shoulders over the other side of this building and to make a point, those who were not alive or older on that day, but to remember that history and to read the history and to remember the history, and struck, Mike Low was the first person to speak in New York, he lost his daughter, one of the flight attendants, just the grace, there was a moment right after 9 11, President Bush went and stood on the rubble, he had that bullhorn, there was a brief moment, where the country was resilient and unified and a grace across america, and the Iraq War wiped that away. The war in afghanistan, most would argue, was right and just, we can debate forever, the mechanics of that, but the decision, the Iraq War wiped that out, and 20 years later, you think about how much has changed. The Bush Presidency changed. He wanted ip gration reform. A humble foreign policy. That gave war, the Iraq War to polarization and the Republican Party for the Nativist Xenophobic that brought us trump, would Barack Obama have been president without the Iraq War . You could argue not. So much you could trace from 9 11 to many of the changes that have happened, including, and juliette talks about this, what has been a Security Culture especially in this town, Homeland Security, gsa, the acronyms of government changed and the economy of this region has become so military, secure, cyber, computer focused. Were still learning. The legacy of that day, we know. So long list of things that have changed but some of it is still sinking in. The Homeland Security department was created. It didnt exist on 9 11. It was created because of 9 11. And it changed so much of how the Intelligence Community deals with each other, with the fbi, the domestic Law Enforcement agencies, deal with the Intelligence Community, and in a way that just didnt exist before. We all became familiar with the term called Stove Pipe back then, because there were so many clues that the government broadly didnt know about, because they were so isolated. I want to make the point, an important point, because we learned, as a result of the failures of 9 11, the left hand of the u. S. Government was not talking to the right hand of the u. S. Government, and the Fbi Wasnt sharing information with the cia, and viceversa, and as a result of that, not only did the department of Homeland Security, but the office of the director of national intelligence, to coordinate all of the various governmental intelligence agencies, which created, to make sure that people are talking to even other. Thats exactly right. One of the missed clues, the college reported, that one of the briefings that they got post9 11, on capitol hill, was that there was an nsa, national security agency, they brought down, or they got a communication and it wasnt translated until September 12th but in that communication, it was tomorrow is game day. Something along those lines. The match starts tomorrow. Those kinds of clues werent fleshed out at all. And you know, luckily, we havent had something like that in 20 years. To say look, its not luck, because the systems of our government changed so much. In such an important way. And another thing that has really changed is president ial communication. And that was one of the things that when we read about bush and his aides on Air Force one was the struggle to find out what was actually happening on the ground. They were in the air, the safest place they thought they could put the president and it was Ann Compton recalling this to john the other way, now we take it for granted, you get on Air Force one and youre watching cnn and youre seeing what is happening live on the ground as youre in flight going to wherever the president was going. Thats not an option that they had. And they were so high up they would barely pick up local stations as they were flying over them and struggling to find out what was going on. But the president himself and his aides were having an issue getting in touch which was so difficult. That has all now been changed now. And the president can communicate so much more easily when he is on Air Force one because they realized how vital that is. Can i add one thing to that . I was flying, i was coveringle White House, the bush white House Post9 11 and flying back on a long international Trip Part of the White House pool, and then President Bush took us up to the front of the plane to show us how he had forced the update, and the upgrade in communications, on that plane, because of the frustrating day of 9 11, 2001, that he had, when he had virtually no communication when he was that high in the air, wes very, very proud of the fact that that was part of the very important change, that the commander in chief could actually communicate in a time of crisis like that. And i know you had a chance to speak with the then national Security Adviser of the president , Condoleezza Rice. Thats right. I think we will be showing that later but she talked a lot about that day. You know what . Lets watch it right now. Okay. Heres Condoleezza Rice and Dana Bash. Secretary rice, we are looking at a photo of you and of the then Vice President , and you are inside the president s emergency operations center. What do you most remember about that day . I remember hearing of the first plane, because it was an accident, and then the second and the third and no, this is an attack, and being spirited away to that Emergency Management operations center, where you have the picture, and that moment of walking in and seeing the Vice President , who was on the phone, the phone with the president , and getting the order that yes, the Air Force should shoot down any Civilian Aircraft that was not responding properly, and thinking, what a choice for the president of the united states, but every plane, every plane in the air had become a potential missile, and we were trying, norm manett, a the Transportation Secretary was trying to track every aircraft and people were saying an aircraft just landed on spain, no, no, its on the way to los angeles, and it was in some ways chaotic and in other ways it was incredibly calm, that these people were going about their business, and i remember those moments, as thinking that things had changed for the country, but for the bush administration, they had really changed. We, this was not a war presidency, this was now a war presidency. No question. You talked about the order that the president gave, of course, the President Wasnt there, he was traveling, which well talk about in a second, but gave the order to shoot down Commercial Aircraft. I was at the capitol at that point, and one of the questions was whether or not, as you were referring to, some of the missing planes, one in particular, would be used as a weapon just like the three previous were, two at the world trade center, and one at the pentagon. What was that like to hear the president of the united states allow or order a Commercial Aircraft to be shot down because it was going to be used as a weapon . It was just a terrible choice. People often ask me, you know, what do you do if something is against your values, its almost always competing values. On one hand, you dont want to kill innocent civilians but on the other hand, if that plane becomes another missile, then another building goes down. And we now know pretty definitively that it probably was headed for the u. S. Capitol, at one point it was thought maybe the White House, and when that plane went down in the field in pennsylvania, we thought that perhaps we shot it down and the president said, you must know whether you encountered a Civilian Aircraft and they couldnt confirm so those brave passengers who drove it into the ground probably saved another attack, this time on what was the symbol of american democracy, the u. S. Capitol. True. True heroes. You were one of the first people to speak with President Bush following the attack on the world trade center. Minutes after the second Plane Hit. Tell me about that conversation. What did you tell him . I told him, i talked to him after the first plane, we both thought perhaps it was an accident of some sort but then when the second plane went in, we knew it was a terrorist attack, and our conversation was rather sharp and short. He said im coming back. I said mr. President , you cant come back here. And i raised my voice to him and which you dont do to the president of the united states but i needed him to understand that he couldnt come back, because it wasnt safe, and he was really a little bit angry, he wanted to come back, because you know him, dana, you know that at that moment, the emotions were running really, really hot, but that was really the nature of the conversation, you cannot come back here. Lets talk about pre9 11. The warning signs. Two years prior, 1999, a federal study on terror warned that Al Qaeda could carry out an attack of this magnitude, less than a month before 9 11, President Bush received a memo entitled Bin Laden determined to strike in the u. S. 2020, hindsight, do you wish you had evaluated the intelligence differently . I wish that we had had a system that could have merged the information in a way that we could evaluate it differently this. Gap that we had between the homeland and the external world, the fact that the fbi did intelligence inside, the cia did intelligence outside, it made it hard to bring all of the pieces together. I can tell you, dana, a day doesnt go by that i dont wish we had seen it differently. Im incredibly personally remorseful that we didnt, because when nearly 3,000 people die often your watch, its something that stays with you die on your watch, its something that stays with you. But i think we did everything we knew how to do at that time. What we didnt have the imagination to see was that the attack would be commercial airliners hijacked and flown into buildings. That memo that you mentioned, august 6th, mentioned the possibility of hijacking, but in the most conventional way, maybe take a plane hostage, take people hostage, the idea that you use them as missiles, it just wasnt in our imagination. But i will say this. Had me been organized differently, we might have known for instance that there were Phone Calls from San Diego to afghanistan, from one of the hijackers. Now, because we didnt track Phone Calls across, when they originated in the united states, for very good civil liberties reasons, but we didnt track those, we didnt know that this very dangerous man was in San Diego. I think were better off because we think of intelligence differently now. We know that Security Threats are not all external. They can also arise from within. But thats not how we thought about it in those days. You penned an oped for the Wall Street Journal this week arguing that americans are more safe now than on 9 11. You mentioned one of the reasons, and i know just now, recent polling though suggests americans dont agree with you, for lots of reasons, perhaps one of the reasons is looking at whats happening in afghanistan, the taliban back in charge, why do you think the u. S. Is safer . Well, i would distinguish the apparatus that weve built, the national Counterterrorism Center that merges intelligence in ways that we did not from 9 11, a Homeland Security department that didnt exist before 9 11, actually dedicated to thinking about the security of the homeland. The fact that for the time being, at least, we have disabled the Al Qaeda, the highly sophisticated, highly disciplined organization that actually carried out the 9 11 attack with, and you think about the coordination that that took, the flying of planes into buildings, and so forth, and you know, thats a sophisticated operation. Denying them the territory of afghanistan, meant that they couldnt train and they couldnt operate in the way that they did on that day. But i would separate all of that, all that we achieved in that 20 years with our alliance from nato, and our allies from afghanistan, the part that doesnt make me feel very comforted that weve lost the eyes and ears on the ground in afghanistan that helped us to know where the terrorists were, that allowed us to run the kinds of operations that you sometimes have to run against terrorists. We lost Bagram And Other Airfields that were able to allow us to run certain, to, even drone operations out of them. I would be the first to say we lost some of the capabilities. But that shouldnt diminish the capabilities that we still have. We do have, we are still safer. I hope we can remain that safe into the future. I certainly hope so as well, dana. Excellent interview. But you cant get over the fact, and she acknowledges this, 20 years ago, the taliban ruled afghanistan, when 9 11 happened, the u. S. Went into afghanistan, tried to do away with that, for 20 years later, the taliban is ruling afghanistan once again and the u. S. Is out. Its absolutely true. And she was very clear saying that she thinks it was a mistake for President Biden to pull every u. S. Asset out, that they should have kept eyes and ears on the ground, to maintain just a modicum of intelligence to try to prevent that area from becoming a Breeding Ground again. But i want to say, i mean you remember covering condi rice back then, i dont remember her being as candid before, leading up to today, about the way that they missed things, particularly the pdb, the president s daily brief that they got in august saying that Bin Laden could attack in the u. S. And one of the promises that that would never happen again, a smaller scale but one of the questions after the capitol insurrection, is did it happen again . Were there clooe clues in the united states government, in this agency and that agency that were not properly shared. So that was a Legacy Conversation of 9 11 that on the big national counterterrorism issue, it is a completely different world we live in. The fbi, talking to the capitol police, talking to other people, we may need to keep that conversation going. Lets go back to New York city, and continue our coverage of the ceremony. Ing ab [ Bell Ringing ]. My name, My Brother John worked on the 104th Floor of tower one. When i look back on these last 20 years, i find myself thinking about September 12th, and everything that happened after that. When thousands of us became members of a club that we never signed up for. It was no idea of what to do next. Except to cry. Right . But then something unexpected happened. An unlimited amount of kindness kept pouring in, to each of us. From friends and strangers. The whole country seemed to put its arm around us. And that lent me just enough strength to get up the next day and the day after that, and the day after that, and i realized that all this kindness and giving reminded me of my brother. My larger than life, live out loud, big brother, who loved to make people laugh, and he was always there, whenever something was needed. I loved and admired those things about him. And i began to emulate them. And it made me feel like i was picking up a baton that he had left for me. I started working with the 9 11 families, helping them navigate the emotional process of thinking about the memorial, and connecting their concerns with the staff and designers and officials. John used to say, you got to have fun, you got to be daring with your life, and with that, i discovered a zest for acting. It was a new direction for me. A way to express creatively all that i felt inside, a way for me to share stories. Everything i was doing gave me the feeling that My Brother Johnny was with me. You got this, kid. It takes a really long time to figure out who you are. And who you were meant to be. And All Of Us had to find new ways to get there. But if i had given up, oh, oh, boy, my brother would have been so mad at me. Fathers. Mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters, all that changed at 9 37 a. M. As the innocent were caught 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 range in age from three to 71 years old. Those who perished here were among the 2,977 killed on that day, here, in New York, and in pennsylvania. Not for what they did, but for what they believed, and what they represented, not for anything they did, but rather, for who they were. The people we lost that day are not just names and numbers. 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 their community. Full of life and potential. Lives cut short. Pain that could never be properly described in words. Suffering that will never fully heal. And no words that i, nor anyone else, will ever say that can fill the gaping hole. But we need a living, we have a solemn duty to honor their legacy, their memory, to honor them, not just today, but every day. The horrific acts of terrorism on that days were meant to disrupt our way of life and destroy the idea that is america. That idea is simple. Yet incredibly powerful. The idea that terrorists hate and fear, the idea that All Of Us, Men And Women, black and white, asian and indian, no matter what the color of our skin, no matter if we are catholic, a protestant, muslim or jew, or we choose not to believe at all, the idea is that each and every One Of Us is created free and equal, the idea that we will rise or fall based on america. The idea of a free press, free speech, due process of law, the right to vote or peacefully assemble and protest, for or against this cause or that. The idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All of that is what our fallen believed in. And what they embodies. All of the values and principles Im Bedded in our constitution and made real in our daily lives were paid for with the blood of the fallen on this place at 9 37 on September 11th, 2001. Those ideas were and still are hated by our enemies, the fascists, the nazis, the communists, Al Qaeda, isis, the taliban, authoritarians, dictators, and tyrants of all kinds. They hate those ideas. They hate those values. And on 9 11, they tried to destroy us. They tried to divide us. They tried ultimately in vein to terrify us. But their murderous intent was never realized. Instead of Sowing Fear individually we gathered in New York and pennsylvania and right here at the pentagon and we came together as a nation, with acts of heroism, unity, and perseverance. Many conducted by you in the audience today. While we grieve for our fallen, we celebrate the life they led. Their legacy lives on. And the idea that as america, that no terrorist, anywhere on earth, can ever destroy that idea. Since that dark day, 20 years ago, the Men And Women of the united States Military have fought tirelessly to defeat terrorists in afghanistan and Around The World, both at home and abroad, their talent and their efforts and their courage, their personal valor has carried this Fight Day and night. We did not fear what was in front of us. Because we love what was behind us. 800,000 of us in uniform served in afghanistan in the last 20 years. Tens of thousands more served elsewhere, in the collective fight against terrorism. And thousands more stand watch today, all Around The World. 2,461 of us gave the last full measure of devotion, including 13 just two weeks ago. While 20 t,698 of us were wound and untold more Surf Wer the invisible wounds of war, as we close this terrible chapter in our nations history. For two consecutive decades, our Men And Women in uniform along with our Brothers And Sisters in the intelligence and Law Enforcement agencies, protected our 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, the feelings of pain and anger, sorrow, and sadness, combined with pride and resilience. The one thing i am certain of, for every soldier, say lore, Airman And Ma sailor and Airman And Marine, for every cia officer, for every fbi agent, for every cop and fireman, you did your duty, your service mattered, your sacrifice is not in vein. 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 theirs in exchange. Never forget the sons and daughters, the Brothers And Sisters, and the mothers and fathers, who gave their tomorrows for our todays. Honor them. Honor them today and forever. Honor the cause they serve. Honor their commitment to this experiment in liberty that we call the united states of america. Ladies and gentlemen, its 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 and 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 we know that you bear your losses not just at times of ceremony but also in ordinary moments of absence. In quiet minutes that can seem 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 all of you. Today of all days, we gather their memory close. My thoughts turn to lieutenant tim modd, outstanding leader. He was killed on 9 11 serving as the Armys Deputy Chief of staff of personnel. I wish we could turn to him for counsel. And i still remember his love for his soldiers, his army, and his country. We know that the memories can be hard to bear. We know sorrow doesnt end. Over the years, we hope that the good memories come to us more often and more easily. Today, we remember not just our fallen teammates but the mission they shared. 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 11th back in 1941. As War Raged overseas, workers with Steam Shovels began digging that morning into the virginia clay. Historians say that it was a perfect late day summer, a late summers day, with a crystal clear Blue Sky and a hint of fall in the air. On that September 11th night, President Franklin Roosevelt gave a Fireside Chat about the growing threat of nazi aggression. Americas attention was turned inward and focused on a depression. The president was sure that his fel fellow citizens, who he called Hard Headed and farsighted, would meet the challenge of fas fascism. He said the american people have faced other grave crises in their history. With american courage, with american resolution, they will do no less today. And the president added that his f fellow citizens knew that times of Testing Call for Clear Heads and fearless hearts. Clear heads and fearless hearts. Thats what our times demand again. They demand 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 we defend today were born after 9 11. That includes thousands of our outstanding young service members. And many of the 13 brave Men And Women who, just days ago, gave their lives to save others in afghanistan, were babies back in 2001. And as Secretary Of Defense and a veteran of the afghan war, let me underscore again how much we y owe to all those who fought. And to all those who fell while serving our country in afghanistan. As the Years March on, we must ensure all our fellow americans know and understand what happened here on 9 11. And in manhattan. 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 originality 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 skand the principles enshrined in our constitution. Liberty, rights, the rule of law. And a fierce commitment to the 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 its hard. Especially when its 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 that 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 missions and to live up to their goodness and to stand guard over this democracy. We still work here. We still remember here. We still uphold our values here. With Clear Heads and fearless hearts. Thank you and may god protect the united states of america. [ applause ] announcer 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 my Home Sweet home [ Bell Ringing ]