On the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President Joe Biden said the nation must never forget the immense loss lives that day and work to unite, denouncing those who press division.
Speaking at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Biden said he and Jill were attending because the nation must mark occasions that make it pause and remember the great losses suffered during the terrorist attacks.
The president said that in the years since, the nation has faced and weathered hardship and tragedy, and come closer together through it all.
He said there are still people who want to divide people along party lines and play politics with even this solemn occasion, but American people must never let them succeed. He shared a quote from the late John Lewis, saying “We have a duty to honor those that we lost and the nameless and faceless, by continuing their work to create a more perfect union.”
He shared how despite the tragedy of the day, there were individuals who showed incredible courage, not only putting their lives in danger but acting with extraordinary love and grace – like the passengers and crew of Flight 93.
He concluded his remarks by saying the nation was wounded but never broken in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and that it was a reminder that no tragedy – either natural or man-made – can cause it to lose its sense of unity. In the face of challenge, Biden said, the spirit of America rules supreme.
