Pennsylvania. [ instrumentals playing ] [ instrumentals playing ] [ instrumentals playing ] [ instrumentals playing ] [ instrumentals playing ] [ instrumentals playing ] ladies and gentlemen, at this time we ask that you silence all personal devices and please take your seats. Good morning and welcome. My name is steven clark and i have the honor as semrving as te superintendent of the paragraph service located here in beautiful western pennsylvania including flight 93 national mem mep. We come today to honor the heros of flight 93 who in the skies over this field gave their lives in order to thwart an attack on our nations capital. Id like to take a moment to acknowledge the many dignitiries in attendance today. First id like to recognize the president of the families of flight 93, gordon felt and all of the family members in attendance this morning. The United StatesVice President mike pence and his wife second lady karen pence. Pennsylvania governor, tom wolf. Secretary of the interior, ryan zinke and his wife lola. Congressman Bill Schuster representing pennsylvanias 9th district and congressman keith rockfis and mike reynolds. And finally to our many federal, state and local representatives and partners, thank you for your continuous contributions in keeping alive the memory of the passengers and crew of flight 93. At this time will you please rise for the singing of our National Anthem performed by the United States air force. O say, can you see by the dawns early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming . Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight oer 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 starspangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and the home of the brave . [ applause ] please remain standing as the reverend paul briten, brother of passenger marion r. Britton leads us in a moment of silence. The russian writer and mystic wrote, it was only when i lay there in the rotting prison straw that i sensed within myself the first stirrings of the good. Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating the good from the evil passes not through parties, states or between classes, nor between Political Parties either, but right through all human hearts. And so he wrote in a great strangeness for many of us, so bless you prison for having been in my life, as an inspiration let us take a moment to find the gift of one difficult thing we have faced and to give thanksgiving for its teachings. The mutual gift of the memory of this day most especially. When the 40 faced their most difficult moment with boldness, with courage and with strength, in order to follow the good that was within them and to express a common good for all. As we remember their actions and their character, who are we to think less of ourselves in our suffering and in our hurt and in our pain . When evil challenges the good in us, we can, with their memory, in their memory, and through their memory rise as they did. Please, join in the moment of quiet and meditation. Ar men and amen. Please be seated. Thank you, reverend britton. At this time park ranger will read the names of the passengers and crew of flight 93. Mr. Franz will be joined by family members reading the names of their loved ones. For each name, United Airlines captain david dosh and Flight Attendant judy bier will bring the bells of remembrance. The captain was a close personal friend of captain jason dahl. Judy was a colleague of lora lorainebay. Christian adams. [ bell ring ] lorraine grace bay. [ bell ring ] todd m. Beamer. [ bell ring ] alan anthony beaven. [ bell ring ] mark bingham. [ bell ring ] Deora Francis bodley. [ bell ring ] sandy bradshaw. [ bell ring ] marion r. Britton. [ bell ring ] thomas e. Burnett jr. [ bells ring ] William Joseph cashman [ bells ring ] Georgine Rose Corrigan [ bells ring ] Patricia Cushing [ bells ring ] beloved cousin and dearest friend captain jason m. Dahl [ bells ring ] Joseph Deluca [ bells ring ] Patrick Joseph driscoll [ bells ring ] my cousin Edward Porter felt. [ bells ring ] jane c. Folger [ bells ring ] our beloved sister green [ bells ring ] andr Andrew Sonny Garcia [ bells ring ] Jeremy Logan Glick [ bells ring ] my sister, Colleen Laura Fraser [ bells ring ] chr Kristin White gould [ bells ring ] Lauren Grandcolas and unborn chi child. [ bells ring ] Donald Freeman greene [ bells ring ] Linda Gronlund [ bells ring ] richard j. Guadagno [ bells ring ] first officer, leroy homer [ bells ring ] toshiya kuge [ bells ring ] with all our familys love, cee cee ross lyles. [ bells ring ] hilda marcin [ bells ring ] Waleska Martinez [ bells ring ] Nicole Carol Miller [ bells ring ] our brother, Louis Joey Nacke ii [ bells ring ] donnell Arthur Peterson [ bells ring ] donald Arthur Peterson [ bells ring ] Jean Peterson [ bells ring ] Mark David Rothenberg [ bells ring ] Christine Ann snyder [ bells ring ] John Talignani [ bells ring ] honor Elizabeth Wainio [ bells ring ] and my beloved sister, Debra Anne Jacobs Welsh [ bells ring ] the National Park service is honored to be the trusted stewards of flight 93 National Memorial. National memorials, monuments, and battlefields throughout the country honor and remember the sacrifices of those who, in an hour of need, rose to heights that defy all expectations. So why do people come here . What inspires them to travel, oftentimes many hours out of their way to see this place . I believe the answer is quite simple, to honor the courageous acts of the 40 individuals aboard United Airlines flight 93 and to better understand their story. While here, visitors may see a fawn nursing, a flock of canada geese nestled within the memorial groves, a coyote running on a hillside, or even a black bear roaming along the forest edge. Overtime past 16 years, we have witnessed the transformation of a landscape from an active coal Mining Operation to a living memorial. Since 2012, thousands of visitors and volunteers have planted more than 100,000 native seedlings to reforest these once barren hillsides. With their help this land continues to be claimed by nature and healed by caring hands. This memorial has become a unique place for visitors to come find meaning and solace. To learn of the tragic events of september 11th, 2001, yes. But also to be restored and renew renewed. Today as we dpaz across this wild flowerfilled meadow we know this landscape encourages visitors to make a deep, personal connection to those individuals, actions and events of 16 years ago. Id like to now introduce todays speakers. Tom wolf was sworn in as the governor of the commonwealth of pennsylvania on january 20th, 2015. Governor wolf grew up in mount wolf, pennsylvania, a small borough outside of york where he still resides. From his early beginnings in the peace corps to serving as chief executive officer of his familys business, the governor pence has always been community driven. In 2006 he was appointed to serve as rendells government in the department of revenue. He continues to work tirelessly on improving education, access to Quality Health care, protecting our seniors and protecting issues close to all pennsylvanians. From the beginning the Governors Office supported the community during some of its toughest moments. Governor t governor donated to state agencies to make it possible to continue the work that needed to be done, from the federal investigation to the completion of a Permanent National memorial. The Governors Office has continued that relationship over the last over the past 16 years. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me in welcoming governor tom wolf. [ applause ] thank you very much for that introduction. Mr. Vice president , welcome to pennsylvania. Thank you all for being here today to help us remember those we lost 16 years ago today. Every year on this day, we come together here in shanksville to remember to never forget what true sacrifice looks like. Every year when i come here im again overwhelmed by the story of bravery and heroism that took place in the skies above our commonwealth. And i am continually overwhelmed by the strength of the loved ones i see here. Because every year from the ashes of a tragedy rise as new kind of family, all of us. We come together. We reminisce. We pray. We hold each other. And we build bonds that give us the strength to return so we can honor our passengers and crew of flight 93. We gather here to remember a group of ordinary citizens. Ordinary citizens who did not know they would become a powerful symbol of what patriotism really means. Those who we are here to remember lost their lives protecting their fellow americans. They performed heroic acts in the face of unthinkable circumstanc circumstances. After reportedly finding out about the tragedy occurring in the rest of the nation, they stood up and they said, enough. We cannot calculate the number of lives that they saved that day. We cannot know the true impact of their heroism, but we do know they have given all americans an example to live by. The bible says there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for ones friends. We all hope that if tested someday, hopefully far off, we would all have the strength, the courage, the resolve to make the ultimate sacrifice they made to protect others. Some of us never see that test. Some of us never will. But those of us those that we remember here today met that test facetoface on an ordinary tuesday, just like today. Not only did they find themselves equal to an unthinkable task, they found themselves better than that task. They laid down their lives to protect us. They did not know who they were saving but they stood up to evil in the form they encountered it. What can you say about courage like that . How can you commemorate selflessness like that . How can you repay a debt so large . We cannot adequately thank those brave passengers and those crew members enough for the actions they took on that ordinary tuesday, but weve come together to show them and their families while we know we can never repay the debt that we owe them, we will try. Well also show them that we remember. We will never forget what they have done for us, and we will strive to live by the values that they exemplified on that day. And we will hope that their example gives us strength enough that should we one day face what they did, we can have some fraction of the courage they showed all of us. I want to thank you all again for being here today. I want to thank especially the families of the passengers and the crew of flight 93 for their bravery, for their sacrifice, and for letting us mourn with them. Because your family members are our heroes. Let us continue to live lives that would make them proud. Let us live by the example of selflessness they set for all of us and let us never forget what they did here. Thank you. [ applause ] thank you, governor wolf. While serving as the superintendent over the past several years, i have come to know the president of the families of flight 93 mr. Gordon felt quite well. I have come to know gordy, as hes known to friends and family, on a personal live and have admired his unwavering and steadfast dedication to this sacred place. Gordys brother edward was a passenger aboard flight 93. Dpoerd was a member of the federal Advisory Commission which guided the development of this National Memorial. He now leads the families of flight 93, which is dedicated to memorializing the 40 passengers and crew of flight 93 in partnership with the National Parks service, the friends of flight 93, and to the National Park foundation. Gordy and his wife donna live in Central New York where they own and operate camp northwood, a socially therapeutic residential summer camp for autistic spectrum and learning challenged children. Following gordys remarks, celtic air will perform a moving tribute titled one voice. Please join me in welcoming mr. Gordy felt. [ applause ] id like to take a moment to acknowledge the pain and suffering that is currently taking place in florida, texas, louisiana, and across the southeastern part of our country. Those folks are struggling. Our thoughts and hearts are with you today as you go through this journey that you are on. Vice president pence, secretary zinge, governor wolf, charged with this beautiful memorial, ambassadors, volunteers, and visitors, i welcome you to the commemorative services honoring those that were taken from us on this field 16 years ago today. It is always good to return to the sacred ground in order to honor those individuals and to be inspired by the actions that they took, fighting that first battle against the terrorist threat to our country on september 11th, 2001. September 11th marked a drastic pivot for us all. Most especially to those of us here today that felt the personal loss of a family member. To the thousands of those personally affected by september 11th, today marks yet another anniversary of loss, pain, anger, and hope. We chose to come to this site today, just as thousands of others made the conscious effort to attend ceremonies in new york and at the pentagon in order to honor those that perished. To honor those that were not given a choice, but instead were taken from their families and communities in such a violent manner. The trajectories of their lives were extinguished far too soon and the ensuing Ripple Effect has altered the course of our lives and that of generations to come. We are gathered here today to remember 40 extraordinary individuals that were lost to a brand of depersonalized violence that has unfortunately moved more towards the norm than at any other period in our lifetimes. This seemingly geo metric violence aimed at governments but victimizing individual human beings is abhorrent and affects the innocent with little regard for the dignity and sanctity of life. Because of this, it is critical that we not allow the world to forget the actions taken by our heroes, the innocents that said no more. Forty citizens, a spectrum of nationalities, races, religions, political leanings, strangers to one another that morning forged a bond that recognized evil incarnate and dhos figchose to. They didnt fight for their religion, ethnicity, nationality or political ideology, they instinctually fought for whats important, to get home to their loved ones. And just as important, they fought because giving in to evil should never be an option. When faced with the horrific reality of this new paradigm forced on the world that day, their quick and deliberate response was such that their actions set a standard to which future generations will and already do aspire. While they lost their lives, they won the battle. For that we are forever in their debt. Sixteen years from the day, we are still here. Our nations memorial to the heroes of flight 93 stands proudly on the site of their final battle. In september of next year, we will be complete with the dedication of the tower of voices, a 93 foot tall tower standing defiantly at the entrance of this magnificent memorial. Forty wind chimes representing the voices of our heroes. Powerful, peaceful, eternal. Because of the actions of our loved ones, the Capital Building stands as a beacon of hope for our democracy. Millions of visitors have found their way to rural southwestern pennsylvania to pay their respects and to remember, to remember those 40 heroes that represent us all. Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, friends, and neighbors. It could have been you. It could have been me. Our loved ones never gave up, and neither should we, the people. We must remember that by standing together as individuals, just as our loved ones did, we become stronger, more focused on our objectives, less likely to be driven by depersonalized ideology and more likely to do whats right in the face of evil and uncertainty. Let us all pledge to remember this day, our heroes and their collective actions throughout the year. September 11th must continue to be more than just a day in history but rather a call to action. A call to our conscious so that we never forget who we are and who we aspire to be. Thank you. [ applause ] spirit of one voice sound of one who makes a choice this is the sound of one voice this is the sound of one voice this is the sound of voices, o too sound we make singing with you to make it through this is the sound of voices too this is the sound of voices too this is sound of voices three singing together in harmony surrendering to the mystery this is the sound of voices three this is the sound of voices three this the sound of all of us the will to trust may the rest behind turn to dust this the sound of all of us this is the sound of one voice one people one voice song for every one of us this is the sound of one voice this is the sound of one voice [ applause ] thank you, dpoerd, and to all of y gordy, and