Yeah. An important moment for you and important moment for people to see. Im glad we were able to see your photo. Thank you for being here to share your story. We are grateful for your service and time today. I appreciate it. Well think about you tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you for watching. Our special coverage live from the pentagon here. We will have more from the same spot tomorrow. Ill anchor here with Andrea Mitchell. Ill have more on msnbc reports. We continue with Craig Melvin live from shanksville, pennsylvania right now. This field is the site where the passengers and crew of United Flight 93 wrestled control of the hijacked planes on September 11th, 2001 and crashed it into the ground. Craig melvin picking up Friday Coverage from Sacred Ground In Shanksville, pennsylvania. The site where we lost 40 american heroes and sacrificing their own lives and likely saved thousands more. That plane was bound for the u. S. Capitol. Where im standing, literally, the exact place where Family Members of the heroes first put eyes on the Crash Site and said their final farewells. This is a photo of The Original Memorial Set Up in the hours and days after the crash here In Shanksville. Right now, preparations under way for tomorrows 20th Anniversary. A live look right now as those preparations are happening just a few feet behind me. President biden and first lady Jill Biden will be here. So will president george w. Bush and first lady laura bush. Bush is expected to speak tomorrow. Small number of guests will be here. At 10 07 a. M. , the names of the victims will be read aloud. Bells will ring in their honor and 40 lanterns will be lit in the remembrance of the lives lost. When you come to the site here In Shanksville, you Cant Help but feel something immediately. My first time here. I arrived a few hours ago before the sun came up before the today show. When you step on the property, you know you are some place sacred. A powerful message. Etched on the pane of glass from here. There is a look. A common field one day. A field of honor forever. Meanwhile, in New York, thousands of Family Members preparing to remember the 2,753 people killed when the two towers At The World Trade Center chanced. Rehema ellis reported on 9 11. Rehema, walk us through what ceremony we can expect through the next 36 hours there and what kind of personal stories well likely hear. Reporter good morning, craig. This is a solemn time here in New York for so many people. Not just those in New York who lost loved ones, but people all around the country. What happens here is a tradition. A Moment Of Silence at 8 46 in the morning. That is when the first plane hit the north tower. Then there will be another Moment Of Silence when the second plane hit the South Tower. There will be a traditional reading of the names of nearly 3,000 people who died that day. This is going to be an Inperson Reading of the names. As you know, last year, because of covid, they didnt do it in person. It was nonetheless memorable for folks. They are returning for the Inperson Reading this time. You pointed out President Biden and dr. Jill biden will be here for the ceremony. The president will visit all three sites. The pentagon and shanksville, pennsylvania where you are. We understand President Biden and dr. Biden will be here in New York. In shanksville, President Bush will be there to join people for the memorial there. People remembering those thAt They lost who were in the community. I want to bring in amy hargrove. She lost her father. Amy was only 4 years old when her dad died some 20 years ago. Now you are 24. Yes. What goes through you when you come to the site . I think what goes through me is just how much has changed in the 20 years. You see what used to be a pit. Now it is a plaza where New Yorkers come every single day and can see those who are gone. It also reminds us of how long really has passed. What hits Close To Home is knowing the milestones my father has missed. Graduations and marriages and so on. You have a big family. Yes. It helps to let you know. What kind of a man was your father . We hear the stories. He was an everlasting friend. Once he was in your life, he was there forever. He wanted everyone to be around everyone and have fun and be involved and his motto was to have fun. He never played a day of soccer in his life. He volunteered. His motto is lets have fun. Do you talk about the things your father did not have an opportunity to experience. One is you are going off to college in london and studying international Business And Finance and marketing. Is that inspired by what happened here 20 years ago . I think what inspired me more instead of what im studying, but where im going. He wanted us to travel the world and have experiences. My mom said 9 11 is not our entire story. It is part of our story. She wants us to go out and enjoy the world and things he wasnt able to do afterwards. We talk about this being Sacred Ground. In part, because your fathers remains were never found. In some ways, this is a cemetery for your father and so many others. Do you feel that . 100 . 40 of Family Members never received remains of the loved ones. We are part of the 40 . They are still identifying. For us, this is his last remaining place. This is where we come to mourn him and grieve him. I understand you wont be here tomorrow . Why is that . We come in for the day and hear his name. One of our Family Members reads the names. The 10th year and 20th year with everything going, we decided to be in our hometown where he and my mother started their life toGether. Thank you for being with us. Thank you so much. Craig, Back To You. Rehema, Thank You. Thank you both so much for that. I want to bring in mike. Mike is the spokesperson for the national Park Service. I met him hours ago. I said a few moments ago, i have been to a lot of memorials around the country. This one, this one is special. It is unique. The design thoughtful. When people come here, mike, what do they see . What do you hope they Get from this . The first thing they see when they go to the Visitors Center and design forces your Perspective coming out. You literally enter the site by walking along the final path of flight 93. You come from the Visitor Center and tall walls and the Perspective is forced on The Field. You look in the distance and see the impact site. You walk down and walk along the wall of names where the names of those 40 literal heroes is located. I think for a lot of us, what we hope people take away is an understanding of the magnitude of what was accomplished that day. 40 strangers, in less than 30minutes time, confronted with an unspeakable decision and came toGether and for the common good, were able to avert what would have been a disaster of Plane Crashing into the u. S. Capitol. 4,000 Men And Women working At The capitol that day. The images that would have been with the symbol of our democracy if flames. The 40 strangers found it to band toGether within themselves and pull off an accomplishment of heroic proportion. It is remarkable. One thing which is striking is how remote of an area this place is. I know the first phase of construction was finished for the 10th Anniversary and the next phase in 2018. The fact they got the machinery in here and the remote part of pennsylvania to construct the beautiful tribute is also something that should not be lost on people that come out. It is a remote area. It was an abandoned mine At The time. Not only the machinery and equipment, but timeframe. Congress authorized this in 2002, the year after. By the tenth aanniversary, we dedicated the memorial and Visitor Center. If you think about the other memorials in our history. The Washington Memorial was dedicated 100 years after his death. The World War ii memorial, you know, is not dedicated until 40 years after the end of the war. By the tenth anniversary, congress, nation, everyone who agreed this is important enough and they made it happe. Thats a good point, mike. Mike, Thank You for your time. My pleasure. A number of volunteers have been hosting us here. I did not realize the cadre of the people here and volunteer to show folks around. The Ambassador Corps donate their time. Drive from pittsburgh. Drive from the washington, d. C. Area to make sure that our visitors have a full appreciation of what happened and our nation never forGets. Never forGets. Thank you, mike. Over the last two decades, there has been this ongoing fight to provide adequate Health Care to the first responders. A group of lawmakers called to pass the Survivor And Health funding act. Leigh anne joins me now. How will this help those affected . Reporter craig, you set it up correctly. Funding and support for the 9 11 families and victims has been a big fight in congress over the years. There are two separate Compensation Funds that have been passed throughout the years. One is a Compensation Fund that Jon Stewart has been a big ally of and a huge victory in 2019 when they essentially funded this Compensation Fund indefinitely for people impacted by 9 11. The one were talking about today is the health fund. This is something that was extended in 2015 indefinitely. Theres lots of money for this. There is some technical problems with it. The Bottom Line is thAt The increase in funding is tied to inflation. Not the level of medical inflation. Medical costs have increased much greater than inflation. People who are receiving this fund are extremely worried about the increasing costs and fund not keeping up with those costs. Now, those bipartisan group of lawmakers were in new York City today talking about the need to pass this. Lets listen to representative maloney. We can ensure the program will have the resources to deal with the illnesses that 9 11 is still afflicting too many responders and too many survivors. Reporter as we know, there are a lot of health issues which is an understatement for the people who were around the pile around Ground Zero for those months. Craig. Leigh ann caldwell, Thank You. We will have more of our special coverage ahead as we mark 20 years since 9 11. Including the look at how the attacks that day changed the way the united states defends itself. Plus honoring the bravery of the first responders. A conversation with three people who jumped into action after the tragedy here In Shanksville, at Ground Zero and At The pentagon as well. First up, honor the pilots of flight 93. The flight that crashed In Shanksville. As a teenager, first Officer Leroy Homa worked at Night Cleaning medical buildings to save up for flying lessons. He got his private Pilot License at 16 and graduated from the u. S. Air force. He served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm and he flew humanitarian missions to somalia. His copilot was jason dahl. He joined the civil Air Patrol in san jose, california. He flew solo At The age of 16. When he boarded flight 93 that morning almost 20 years ago, dahl brought, as he always did, a small box of rocks that has son had given him long ago. Dahl traded flights with another pilot to take his wife sandy to london the following weekend to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. The smithsonian says based on information from that day, Leroy And Jason were the first to fight against the Terrorists Threat on flight 93. New customers Get our best deals on all smartphones. Thats right. But what if im already a customer . Oh, no problem. Hey, cam. . Ah, same deal yeah, its kind of our thing. Huh, thats a great deal. What if im new to At T . Cam, can you. . Hey. But what about for existing customers . Same deal. Its the same deal. Is he ok . Its not complicated to open your possibilities. With At T, everyone Gets our best deals on every smartphone like a Samsung Galaxy Z fold3 5g. Its your home. And theres no place like wayfair to make the kitchen sink, the entertainment center. However you make it, make your next project like No Other. Growing up in a little red house, on the edge of a forest in norway, there were three things my family encouraged kindness, honesty and hard work. Over time, ive come to add a fourth be curious. Be curious about the world around us, and then go. Go with an open heart, and you will find inspiration anew. Viking. Exploring the world in comfort. Introducing xfinity rewards. Our very own way of thanking you just for being with us. Enjoy rewards like Movie Night specials. Xfinity mobile benefits. And exclusive experiences, like the chance to win tickets to see watch what happens live. Hey its me. The longer youve been with us. The more rewards you can Get. Like sharpening your Cooking Skills with a top chef. Join for free on the Xfinity App and watch all the rewards float in. Our thanks. Your rewards. Back here In Shanksville, pennsylvania as we mark the 20th Anniversary of 9 11, the country is still in the process of trying to confess mastermind of the attacks. Muhammad and four others appeared in the Military Court for the first time since february of 2020. All of them are facing the Death Penalty. Nbcs Ken Delanian just stepped out of the courtroom in guantanamo bay, cuba. Ken. Reporter craig, this is the first time in more than a year and a half thAt The Death Penalty proceeded here At The the courthouse. We got to see him in court on tuesday with his codefendants. Some wearing military fatigues. There were a handful of 9 11 families to look At The men. That was a dramatic moment. All of this, this week, craig, is a reminder of how long this trial is taking and the fact that 20 years after the attack, we still have no Justice Or Trial date, in fact. I spoke to the sister of the woman who died in the north tower. She is concerned there will never been a trial. As i left court, the lawyers were Getting into an argument over the torture and the cia inflicted upon them here at guantanamo. That will be litigated for weeks and months. A lot of people have different views, as you know, as everyone i speak to, the national Security Experts believe this is taking way too long. This military Commission System is off the rails, craig. Yes. To say the least. Ken at gitmo. Thank you. The horrific events have affected every aspect of American Life. Some of the biggest impacts had been the security and defense. That includes the creation of the department of Homeland Security and Transportation Safety Administration that it oversees. Our Justice Correspondent Pete Williams joins me with more on this part of the story. Pete, walk us through how american security has changed over the last 20 years. Reporter dhs, of course, was part of the largest reorganization of the federal government since World War ii. The creation of the department and the tsa. There are many parts of Airline Security you see with screening. Some you dont see. All names are checked in in advance of data bases. This is true with travelers overseas. Craig, one change of American Life is symbolized by where you are today In Shanksville. It was the spirit aboard flight 93, lets roll, of the passengers storming the cockpit when they realized what was going on that allows you to take responsibility for your own security. We saw this in june when the delta Airlines Pilot says we need help subduing a passenger. Lots of people immediately responded to that. There is a see something, say something has become part of life. In many ways, the government has responded to these big threats with more security not only on airlines, but conventions and Super Bowl and many places people gather. The government is still struggling to adapt to new threats. The cyber threats and ransomware attacks. Consider one. Drones. 11 Million drones in the united states. They have been used by terrorists overseas to drop explosives. A couple of years ago, hobbyist drones were used to try to assassinate the leader. The government, all these years after 9 11 adapted in many ways. In some ways still struggling to adapt to the new threats. Craig. Pete williams, Justice Correspondent. Pete, Thank You. Up next, honoring the heroes of 9 11. Im going talk to three first responders all of whom leapt into action here In Shanksville at Ground Zero and the pentagon. Their memories of that day and the weight of it all. Some 20 years later. First, we want to take a moment to honor another hero of shanksville on 9 11. Mark bingham. A traveler and adventurer. A rugby champion. For the last 20 years, american hero. Bingham was the last to board flight 93. He overslept. Bingham leapt into action and led the revolt against the hijackers and forced the plane into an empty field. A few hundred yards from where i stand. Instead of the capitol where it was headed. The year after his death, the first Bingham Cup was honored in his name. The tournament has grown to welcome dozens of gay and inclusive Rugby Teams and thousands of players from all over the world. A global celebration of equality, inclusivity, sportsmanship. Mark bingham. 9 11 hero. 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I automatically go back to The Field and what it looked like and what you see when you look out there right now and what i see are two different things because im going back to that day and can see a lot of the Debris Field and what have you. Just really proud of the way things went here and honor the 40 heroes. They are the real heroes. You mentioned what you saw that day. What did it look like 20 years ago . It was just a lot of small broken up debris. Theres a crater where the plane actually impacted. Theres fire down into the Hemlock Trees down there. It was pretty rough. I know you just live a few miles away now. Tens of thousands of people visit this site every year now. What do you want folks to take away when they come and they see this . The most important thing is the 40 heroes on flight 93. Im always happy, especially when people are bringing younger people or their children and they go through the Visitors Center and go to the wall of names and explain things to them. Thats how we will keep this memory alive. Thats very important. Tom, let me come to you for a few moments here. Ill start with you the same way i just started with terry approaching the 20th Anniversary. How are you feeling . How do you think its changed the new York Police department . Well, feeling once again like a scab has been ripped off. Bringing me back to the day. You took two of the biggest buildings in the world and it was a pile of rubble and trying to help people recover their loved ones. It was a very, very hard day. Hard to live with still. Now a days, i have a rest per respirator. Every breath i take is a reminder of that day. You like so many, tom, at Ground Zero, dealings with the Health Consequences of breathing in the toxic air after the towers fell. You were diagnosed with hodgkins and later developed Pulmonary Fibrosis as a consequence. What would you say to the lawmakers still debating the Health Care Fund Act . There are a lot of people sick. A lot of people are very sick or dying with cancers and pumonary diseases and afflicted with so many other diseases. That funding is very important. Extremely important. The medical bills pile up. If it wasnt for the funding, i wouldnt be here basically, without the treatment i received from my medical team. Justin, you responded to the attack on the pentagon. How did that change you . How did it change your colleagues . How did it change that area as a whole . Well, it made us all think about how small we were in a big world. We were just doing our job that day. Just like every day. I think everyone came toGether that day in just an amazing way. That is a lesson we can carry forward. We can remember that and remember how we responded toGether. We can come toGether again with whatever task happens to be in front of us. It is hard for a lot of folks to believe there are now adults who were not even born when the attacks happened. Justin, what do you hope 9 11 comes to mean to them . To that generation . Well, i hope it serves as a frame of reference for where we can go. We started off with a Beautiful Day that was just broken apart with tragedy. We had to rebuild that. So, the world that we have rebuilt for them, i hope they take it forward and build better and become better and do what makes them happy, but also what actually moves us forward in the best possible way. Terry, i want to come Back To You for a moment because you are a few miles away. Shanksville is one of those places now in the country where anytime you hear it, you immediately think of what happened that day. People who live In Shanksville or near shanksville, how do they feel with being associated with the greAt Tragedy . Some people accept it and dont have issues with it. Others choose to go about their lives and pretty much, i dont want to say ignore it, but not pay attention to whats going on up here. They were blessed in the fact thAt The national Park Service ground that it is sheltered the town from all of the other stuff going on up here. When you are down in town, there are things going on up here and you dont realize it because it is up here and down there. It really is a remarkable memorial and quite the tribute to the folks who saved lives that day. Thank you for your service. Justin and tom, Thank You so much as well for your service on that day as well. We so appreciate you. Thank you, Thank You, Thank You. Right now, not far from where i am, the friends of Flight 93 National Memorial is awarding its first annual heroes award. How they are honoring the brave Detroit Firefighter who died trying to save a group of girls from drowning. Before that, we want to take a moment to remember two heoes from 9 11 Ground Zero. Husbands and fathers and dedicated Public Health servants. Joseph leavey and donald mcintyre. Leavey was known for his love of new York Citys many skyscrapers. He called the World Trade Center an Engineering Marvel and tried to Get Family Portraits with the Ski Skyscrapers in the background for the family christmas card. His daughter said he called her his sunshine. Donald mcintyre was the father of three children. His youngest was born three months after the attacks. He was known for mr. Fixit. He was working outside the towers before they fell. He and four others ran back inside the South Tower to search for a Family Member who was missing inside. So you can focus on what matters most. Thats how weve become the leader in 5g. 1 in customer satisfaction. And a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you Get it all. What happens when we Welcome Change . We can transform our workforce overnight out of convenience, or necessity. We can explore uncharted waters, and not only make new discoveries, but Get there faster, with better outcomes. 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She was someone of a mentor to me. She just handled everything with Grace And Compassion that really i tried very hard to emulate that. In some ways, it seems like it has been a long time and in other ways, it seems like it was just yesterday. My heart tells me she was very busy comforting people. Doing whatever she could to support the passengers on that Plane And Support crew. We did name my daughter, now 11, lorraine. She is never very far from my thoughts or our thoughts as a family. Lorraine was emilys godmother and cousin. The first Heo Award to Detroit Firefighter. Sergeant johnson died in august of last year. He died trying to save a group of teenagers drowning. I talked to his family this morning as well. In the spirit of how those heroes on that flight just looked At This moment thAt They could do something to save many lives, he did the same with his actions. When you heard about what happened that day, what did you think . Oh, i was, of course, devastated at first. Just could not believe it happened. At the same time, i know my brother. I know if he had to do it all over again, he would do the same. With that award, the acts of the members of the flight 93 and Sergeant Johnson will live on forever. Sergeant johnson, by the way, would have turned 51 last weekend. Final bit of Perspective since we mark 20 years since 9 11 and the nations youngest voters were not alive when it happened. How will the memories be passed down . Jon meacham will join me on how the soul of the nation and where we should go from here. Nd where we should go from here dad, its a video call. Hold the phone in front of you. Hows that . Get. Get mom. [ding] power E Trade gives you an Awardwinning App with 24 7 support when you need it the most. Dont Get mad. Get E Trade and start trading today. Its your home. And theres no place like wayfair to make the kitchen sink, the entertainment center. However you make it, make your next project like No Other. 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Children who lost their parents that day are now adults. Many of them have children of their own. There is a new population of young people who have no memory of 9 11 because they werent born yet. The attacks did bring our country toGether in the country toGether in the days and weeks and even months that followed, theyve also had a tremendous impact on our social and political landscape. Joining me now to reflect more on all of that historian john meacham, the distinguished professor at vanderbilt university. Always interesting to have your Perspective. 20 years later, what do you make of where we are as a country on the eve of the 20th Anniversary of 9 11 . Craig, i think it is important that you are where you are. I think it is important that people are At The Trade Center site or At The pentagon. Its important that President Bush is coming there tomorrow because one of the things we know from the tragic experience of Human History is that bearing witness is essential to taking stands against further acts of evil and thats what 9 11 was on the part of the attackers. On the part of the people whose lives ended where youre standing. They represented the best not only of america, but of Human Kind itself. You know, jesus said man has no greater life than this than to lay down his life for his friends and the passengers of flight 93 who lived into that in a way that is unimaginable except thAt They did it. So it makes it possible for us not only to imagine it and to appreciate it, to honor it and to sit in wonder At The remarkable depth of that sacrifice, and thats a reminder of the perennial nature of extraordinary human courage, of the Word Soul comes from Breath Or Life in Hebrew And Greek and the best parts of The American soul were on display on September 11th and its a reminder, an injunction, a beacon, a standard for all of us to figure out how do we continue to honor the lives of those who gave everything so that we can have a democracy. So that you and i can sit here and talk, so that we can Get up and go to work and that creates an enormous obligation. To whom much is given much is expected and the passengers of flight 93 gave all of us a remarkable chance to continue this journey for what we hope is a more perfect union. One of the things thats always stood out to me, john, about the 9 11 attacks is the way that it brought this country toGether in the days that followed, in the weeks that it followed. I dont think weve seen anything like it since then, but in a lot of ways it did fundamentally shift our politics, as well and here we are two decades later. We seem more divided than ever. Is there a through line there . Is there any universe where we can connect where we are politically and the division to 9 11 . Well, theres always the possibility of hope and Thats Part of what September 11th is about. The firefighters, the medical folks, the ordinary folks like flight 93 who ran into the fire. President bush called it a day of fire, and there were those who did something counterintuitive. It is counterintuitive to put yourself in danger for others, but thats whAt These remarkable folks did. It is on a lesser scale, but to your question, it is counterintuitive in a democracy to want to see Each Other as neighbors and not as rivals, right . I mean, this is the whole there are a millenia of experience is about the state of nature and its about enlightenment and its about the Rule Of Law and its about what do you give up of some part of personal liberty in order to live more safely in community. We are seeing that with the pandemic. We see that every day and the essence of democracy is that if we dont see Each Other as neighbors where we extend a hand where we need to extend one and not just because its the right thing to do, but because we may need a hand. You extend one in the morning because you may be in need of one in the afternoon, and i dont think theres any doubt, clinically speaking that an attack now would be politicized in ways that even September 11th 20 years ago was not and its heartbreaking, but i think if were all being honest and we should be we owe the people who gave everything that honesty. I think we know that it would take an attack and try to create points for one side or the other, and really, its one side. Its not one side or the other, and so i think thAt The importance of a day like this, of a weekend like this is lets remember what people gave so that we can continue to try to Get this right. Amen to that. John meacham, as always, the perfect note on which to end, my friend, Thank You for your Perspective and honesty, john. Enjoy your weekend, if you can. Before we go from shanksville, a story of resilience. In October Of 2001 a tree was found in the rubble at Ground Zero after the attack and it somehow survived, even with its roots and branches snapped and burned. ThAt Tree was removed, rehabilitated and renamed the survivor tree. Now every year the national September 11th Memorial And Museum gives seedlings to communities that have experienced their own tragedies launching in 2013, boston was committed to nurturing a tree in honor of the victims from the Marathon Bombing that year, and as you can see over the years theyve taken root across the country. In charleston, south carolina, after the shooting at emanuel african episcopal church, in Parkland Florida after the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman douglas high school and for the city where the tree was recovered in 2020, seedlings for hospitals in each of new York Citys five boroughs, the first u. S. Epicenter of this pandemic. Thats a powerful reminder some good Can Blossom out of our deepest tragedies. It just takes a little light and a little love. Thats going to do it for me for this hour from shanksville, pennsylvania. Coming Up Next Andrea Mitchell reports will pick up our special Aloha Isnt this a cozy little room . Sorry your Vacation Request took so long to Get approved, so you missed out on the suite special. But lucky for you, they had this. When employees are forced to wait for Vacation Request approvals,it can really cramp their style. Im gonna leave you to it. Um, just with paycom, employees enter and manage their own Hr Data in a single, easytouse software. Visit paycom. Com and schedule a demo today. Riders, the lone wolves of the great highway. All they need is a bike and a full tank of gas. Their only friend . The open road. I have friends. [ chuckles ] well, he may have friends, but he rides alone. Thats jeremy, right there were literally riding toGether. He Gets touchy when you talk about his lack of friends. Can you help me out here . No matter why you ride, progressive has you covered with protection starting at 79 a year. Well, were new friends. To be fair. Eh, still