Ceecee Ross Lyles steven lamancia donald freeman. Kevin w. Yokeham. President s past and present paying tribute today. We remember your loss we share your Sorrow George bushs emotional call for a return to civility the new Developments Today in the war fought in 9 11s wake, and the new divisions in the country as we face a new threat two decades after we all united in the face of another one, a nation forever changed by that Day Tonight the country fulfills its promise to never forget. This is nbc Nightly News with Lester Holt. America remembers 20 years later. Good evening, everyone the gleaming buildings that have risen here at the World Trade Center site have erased the physical scars of destruction from two decades ago, but today on this 20th Anniversary of the 9 11 attacks we confronted the depths of the unhealed wounds to our hearts. Unspeakable loss, moments that will never be, and wounds to our collective sense of Safety And Security today at the crash sites here, at The Pentagon and in pennsylvania, families, survivors, and president s celebrated the lives of victims and those who answered the call to duty. Today a nation remembers 2,977 lives lost the sky as blue as it was 20 years ago when terror rained down early this morning, the first flag unfurled at The Pentagon by the dawns early light in new york city, the largest commemoration at the 9 11 memorial, 2,753 people lost. Twilights last gleaming President Biden, the first lady, president s obama and clinton looked on at the first Moment Of Silence at 8 46 a. M. [ Bell Tolling ] commemorating the moment american Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. My daughter Sarah Elizabeth Lowell was a Flight Attendant on that Plane Names of those we lost read by Loved Ones until we meet again, my love, Rest In Peace [ Bell Tolling ] at 9 03, a second Moment Of Silence at the time united Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower. Ill see you in my dreams in washington, d. C. At The Pentagon, another Moment Of Silence at 9 37 when american Airlines Flight 77 crashed there, Killing 184 people [ Bell Tolling ] and at 9 59, another somber pause at the moment when the South Tower collapsed. First responders like nypd chief Terrie Tobin injured by Falling Rubble while so many other rescuers lost their lives that day and the days and years that followed. Being here today, watching the memorial 20th Anniversary, does it still feel fresh . This day feels fresh because since 9 11 where we lost 23 officers in the nypd, we have lost an additional 269, which was as of December Of 2020 related to they died because of 9 11related illnesses. And silence in shanksville at 10 03 [ Bell Tolling ] the Family Members of the 40 who died on Flight 93, Vice President harris and former President Bush there to honor the heroes who prevented the plane from reaching washington. [ Bell Tolling ] the final Moment Of Silence at 10 28, the moment the North Tower fell late today President Bidens last stop, laying a wreath at The Pentagon after visiting all three sites. These memorials are really important President Trump making a Surprise Visit to the Fdny And Nypd in chicago, a flag raised at west point, army takes The Field with flags raised at windsor castle, Guards Playing The American National Anthem just as they did 20 years ago the world coming together to never forget for 20 straight years now america has set aside this day to remember those who died on 9 11, but for their families there is no day without painful reminders. Rehema Ellis Tonight on how they are still dealing with their Loss Reporter it is a somber day [ Bell Tolling ]. Reporter filled with powerful emotion and reflections on lives lost i love you, dad we all do. Reporter families coming here is a sacred tradition, starting when Ground Zero was a massive hole, then when it was a construction site, and finally now as a powerful monument. I dont know where else i would be. Reporter julie Sweeneys Husband Brian was on board united Airlines Flight 175. He left a message on their Answering Machine moments before the plane crashed into the South Tower. Listen, im on an airplane thats been hijacked if things dont want to go, and its not looking good, i want you to know i absolutely love you. I want you to do good. Go have good times same to my parents and everybody. I totally love you and illee you when you get there. Bye, babe. Reporter love is what also brings the mcginley brothers to Ground Zero every Year Daniel was an Equity Trader on the 89th Floor of the South Tower. 20 years ago he also made a final call to his family he was crying for the people next door, and then minutes later he was in the same situation. Reporter his youngest was only a year old when he died. Their birthdays and weddings and maybe christenings yeah. Reporter he missed it is always tough. Everybody who is down there today, you know, wearing a ribbon is going through the same thing. So i think thats one of the things i learned through this whole thing, is that, you know, No One is immune. Reporter Gordon Hoyt lost his sister that day, too. A doctor, he ran to the building as a first responder and barely escaped as the building collapsed 20 years later i can still hear it, smell it, Taste It and see it as if it just happened yesterday it is nothing that i will ever forget reporter these families tell me today is also about a nation pausing and honoring a vow to remember. Lester, they say it is a tradition they plan to continue forever. My goodness we have all felt their pain today rehema, thanks very much more on the ceremony in shanksville, pennsylvania, celebrating the heroes of Flight 93 former president george w. Bush spoke there, praising the passengers and crew for their actions then and warning of a new threat now Tom Llamas is there. Reporter in this open field my mother and Flight Attendant Ceecee Ross lyles. Reporter the names of heroes echoing, those of the passengers and crew who died defending united Flight 93 Edward Porter felt. Reporter 41yearold edward felt was one of them, his younger Brother Gordon telling me what this day and memorial means. What do you hope people remember and learn 20 years later i want people when they come here to understand that and when they leave to ask themselves, you know, if it was me could i have done what they did. United 93, i understand you are ready for the taxi. Reporter the flight taking off from newark, destined for San Francisco when hijackers took over. The terrorists rerouting the plane, determined to bring it down, likely in our Nations Capital but the brave souls on board, storming the cockpit, sacrificing their own lives when united 93 crashed here near Shanksville Today their courage highlighted by former president george w. Bush these americans were brave, strong and united in ways that shocked the terrorists, which should not surprise any of us. Reporter but he warned that sort of unity is slipping away so much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment. That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together. Reporter though today any politics pushed aside president and mrs. Biden walking Side By side with the Loved Ones of those who perished that day. On Americas Day of trial and grief, i saw millions of people instinctively grab for a Neighbors Hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the america i know tom, i know it has been quite a journey for these families, but now they have a permanent memorial to come and remember. Reporter thats right, lester. As you know, on 9 11 there was nothing out here now they have this national park, this incredible museum, and sites like this. This is called the Flight Path overlook, and they want visitors to come out here, walk all the way to the end and remember all of those lives lost and, of course, never forget the Courage Lester all right, Tom Llamas thank you. Three days after the 9 11 attacks President Bush stood on the rubble at Ground Zero and picked up a Bull Horn i can hear you. The rest of the world hears you, and the people [ cheering ] and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. [ cheering ] before long the u. S. Ended up in afghanistan, for the next 20 years. This is the first anniversary where there are no american troops in that country, but we have new Reporting Tonight about a recent u. S. Drone strike that may have killed afghan civilians. Richard engel reports from the region. Reporter for most americans 9 11 seemed to come out of nowhere. From a man they had never heard of, hiding out in one of the most inaccessible countries on the planet. But just days after the attacks, the cia and Special Forces organized a counterstrike. Bin laden hes done It Reporter former Cia Operative Gary Schroen led the first team in. It was very clear, were going in were going to find Bin Laden and kill him. Reporter the taliban, who had taken control of afghanistan in a civil war, were protecting Bin Laden so the united states took action. It does now appear that United States Military action against targets in afghanistan, that that action is underway reporter just three months after 9 11, the united states overthrew the taliban and had Al Qaeda on the Run But Bin laden got away soon the united states launched a second war, this time in iraq. The taliban regrouped. President obama surged in thousands of reinforcements, and eventually the taliban were beaten back, allowing afghans to be free, Dare To Dream and girls to go to school but the taliban never went away, and when in august President Biden pulled out, the taliban recaptured afghanistan in 11 days, so quickly american troops hadnt even finished leaving. Afghans were desperate not to be left behind. With broad international support, the u. S. Led one of the biggest airlifts in history, but it was an evacuation under fire a Suicide Bomber attacked the airport, killing 13 american service members and 200 afghans trying to escape the country fearing more attacks, the u. S. Targeted a vehicle in kabul a detailed reconstruction by The New York Times shows the target was likely not a terrorist as The Pentagon claimed but a man with Water Jugs in his car. It was a tragic final act in a war that took the united states three months to win and 20 years to lose now the taliban are stronger and better armed than they were on 9 11. Lester all right, richard engel. Thank you. We will be back with the story of The High School students who survived the attacks and now are inspired to serve. Plus, the new pushback against the president s Vaccine Mandates. Were back with a new warning for parents who may be trying to get their younger children vaccinated it comes as many businesses say they wont follow the president s new Vaccine Mandates Morgan Chesky has the latest Reporter Tonight a new warning from the fda. The agency urging parents not to give children under 12 the covid vaccine, as families worry about sending kids back into the classroom. You are really going to have to show theyre incredibly safe and effective. Reporter child cases of covid19 made up a quarter of the 939,000 cases nationwide during the last week of august. While death or serious illness is rare in kids, the fda stressing vaccines for kids under 12 could be available in the coming months, adding children are not small adults whether theres a need for different doses or different strength formulations of vaccines already used for adults, we are eager to see our children and grandchildren vaccinated vaccine is the focus of President Bidens new plan, mandating businesses with more than 100 employees require the shots or offer weekly testing at Heritage Auction in dallas, the president s words a reassurance. Owners say their staff is already 88 vaccinated you got more than 600 employees. Any pushback so far . We havent received any pushback so far. Individual beliefs have a place, Individual Freedom has a place, and were willing to accommodate that but part of that comes with the Testing Mandate and the weekly testing, and were happy to sort of fill our role as an employer. Reporter but not all companies agree, setting the stage for challenges in court. I think this mandate will be effective from a practical standpoint in getting more vaccinations, okay, into the workplace from a legal and political standpoint, i think as long as this is on the front pages it is going to create a quagmire. Morgan joins me now from dallas, texas the governor there pushing back against the new mandates what can you tell us reporter yeah, the governor is saying that he is an open critic against all Mask Or Vaccine mandates lester, he is now calling this latest plan an assault on private businesses lester all right, morgan thanks were back in a moment with students who survived 9 11, now out to make the world better later, what became of the unity we felt 20 years ago the attack on the World Trade Center forced students in a nearby High School to run for their lives. Later when the smoke finally cleared, many of them heard something they never expected, a calling to a life of service. Here is joe fryer. Reporter students at stuyvesant High School were just starting their day it was just like, boom. Reporter the world changed right outside their Classroom Window you could see this, like, towering Dust Cloud moving towards you. Reporter Lila Nordstrom was a senior, madeline martinez a sophomore, two of the more than 3,000 students suddenly forced to flee i think at that point i started to panic a little bit people were crying in the hallways. Oh, i was definitely crying. Reporter what stands out to you still about that Day Sort of felt like an earthquake. I turned around and there was just a sort of Movie Style it looked like special Effects Fire Ball on top of the World Trade Center at that moment it felt like things were suspended in time. You are just trying to figure out what is happening, like what does this mean. Reporter they were forever scarred by that day and shaped by it in the years that followed nordstrom became an advocate, fighting for students who got sick because they returned to the school just a few Blocks North of Ground Zero within a month of 9 11 Ground Zero was still on fire and would be for another four months. Reporter she testified before congress, created an Advocacy Group and recently wrote a book titled some kids left behind. I feel i have an obligation to make sure that we dont repeat these mistakes in future disasters. Reporter the need for strong leadership has motivated martinez, too. She is now earning a Law Degree what focus on affordable house, hoping to be the best civil servant she can. 20 years later, 9 11 is still shaping what you want to do with your life, right i think youth is important in the federal government because i think that theres a generation of millennials who have lived through the recession, who have lived through 9 11 and sort of want a different brand of leadership. Reporter their classmate was already a leader on 9 11, their student body president. Across the building you could see like the gaping hole in the World Trade Center and everyone was just horrified at what had happened. Reporter later he served in the military in iraq where he earned a Bronze Star and now leads pursuit, a nonprofit that teaches Tech Skills to those in underserved communities, a life punctuated by service. This kind of experience affected me and others in a deep way. If i can contribute to, you know, my community and society, it is gratifying. Reporter lifelong lessons still stretching far beyond the solemn walls of their beloved school joe fryer, nbc news, new york when we come back, some final thoughts on how 9 11 brought americans together bay point. Finally on this 9 11 anniversary, a difficult look into the mirror at america then and now there is no nostalgia for that horrible day, no silver linings. It was and always will be evil on an incalculable scale, full stop. As we mark the 20th Anniversary of 9 11, how can we not go there, talk about the Elephant In The Room how we responded back then, one country pulling together, united in our grief and our resolve, versus how we respond two decades later as our country faces a different peril, the pandemic 20 years ago americans collected and handed out masks to Ground Zero Workers Today we fight over whether to protect our children from a deadly disease with them. Americans lined up to give blood in the days after September 11th today Millions Of Us refuse a vaccine proven to protect us and our fellow americans. God bless america on the evening of 9 11, political differences were drowned out under a musical chorus of patriotism hard to imagine, almost 20 years later on the same capitol steps where members of congress sang, it would not be Al Qaeda but fellow americans attacking our democratic process in 2001 new Security Rules and procedures to make us safer were met with patience. We knew it had to be done the rules to make us safer today too often result in rage we can take heart that in both instances we came to recognize the angels among us, the heroes who travelled to hell and back to save others. These are different times. No war, no Terror Attack has killed as many americans as the Pandemic Today as we remember what happened on September 11th, it is worth also asking what has happened to us thats nbc Nightly News for this September 11th thank you for watching im Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night monday Lester Holt kicks off a series exploring the future of space with rare access inside a nasa lab. Is what you are doing the pathfi [ Bell Ringing ] pausing to remember so we never forget. Thank god for the heroes, the first responders. I just wanted to be here and spend some time remembering them. From Coast To coast, powerful Tributes Tonight to the victims of 9 11, 20 years later. Good evening. Thanks for being with us on this important day in our countrys history. Im terry mcsweeney. 9 11 memorials continue this evening across the bay area. So many people stopping to remember and reflect. Its been an especially emotional day in new york, as you might imagine. A powerful tribute at Ground Zero. Two beams of light representing the twin towers that once stood right there. Another look at the tribute of light, standing next to those two beams, 1 World Trade Center. The freedom tower, symbolizing what was lost but also the strength of the american people. Flight 93 forever changed so many lives in the bay area. It was en route to san