President Donald Trump observed Friday’s 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks by attending a ceremony at the Pentagon commemorating the lives lost when al-Qaida militants hijacked planes and killed nearly 3,000 people in three locations, upending American foreign policy and national security.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump, attending the ceremony, recalled the heroism that followed the attacks and declared that the United States must remain prepared to confront terrorism at home and abroad.
“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names, a quarter of a century ago,” Trump said during a ceremony at the Pentagon. “We will never, ever forget.”
Trump reflected on the lives lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, saying a generation has now passed since the attacks but the passage of time has not diminished their place in American history.
“Twenty-five times we have gathered at this hallowed place and at Ground Zero in New York, in a lonely field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania,” Trump said. “In 25 years, a generation has passed since the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001, yet time has not dimmed the horror of that day when our country came face-to-face with true evil.”
Trump recounted the morning of Sept. 11, including the departure of American Airlines Flight 77 before hijackers crashed it into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.
“With the events of that morning, 2,977 beautiful souls were ripped from our world, and many more died in the weeks and years after,” Trump said.
“For anyone who lived it, no words can do justice to the anguish of that day,” he added.
Trump told the stories of individual victims, including Patrick Dennehy, who called his pregnant wife, Mary, from his office in the World Trade Center’s south tower after the first plane struck the north tower.
Mary later watched on television as United Airlines Flight 175 hit the south tower.
“Free people must never avert their eyes from such hideous cruelty,” Trump said. “We cannot forget that moment of immense and horrible evil.”
But Trump said the anniversary also commemorates how Americans responded.
“On days like 9/11, we learned what a country is truly made of,” he said. “Americans are made of a goodness in spirit that can transcend any earthly force.”
Trump recalled the passengers and crew members of Flight 93, who fought back against the hijackers before the plane crashed near Shanksville. He specifically remembered passenger Todd Beamer, who recited the Lord’s Prayer before joining the effort to retake the plane.
“And then he said his last words, ‘Let’s roll,'” Trump said.
“We remember the many lives lost on 9/11,” he continued. “We also give thanks for the countless lives saved by the immortal heroes of Flight 93.”
Trump said the attacks briefly erased many of the country’s divisions.
“We were all New Yorkers that day, every one of us,” he said. “But we were also all Americans. We were all family. We were all patriots.”
Trump also pointed to the massive American flag displayed at the Pentagon after the attack. The same flag was present at Friday’s ceremony, along with firefighters Joseph Morabito, Scott Morgan, and Karl Solberg, who helped raise it in 2001.
“The enemy might destroy what American hands had built, but they could not touch the fight and the fire and the love in our great American hearts,” Trump said.
Trump paid tribute to the generations of U.S. troops who served in the wars that followed the attacks.
“For 25 years, our best and bravest have kept America safe,” he said. “And today we salute every member of the United States military who served in the war on terror.”
He then connected the anniversary to the ongoing U.S. confrontation with Iran, telling the audience that American forces were working to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never, ever have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
Trump spent part of the address telling the story of New York City firefighter Timothy “Timmy” Stackpole, who had suffered severe burns in a 1998 Brooklyn fire before recovering and returning to the department.
Stackpole was killed while responding to the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
“The greatest high you can ever get in life is by helping someone and making a difference,” Trump quoted Stackpole as saying.
Trump recognized Stackpole’s widow, Tara, and their children, several of whom went on to serve in the military or follow their father into public service.
“No one can ever prepare for a day like 9/11, but we can always choose to be the kind of nation the world saw in those days after,” Trump said.
“We can raise our children to know that their country is good, that their fathers are brave, and that our flag is a symbol of justice and freedom,” he added.
Trump closed by contrasting the hatred behind the attacks with what he described as the endurance of the American people.
“September 11th reminded us of the terrible power of hate,” Trump said. “The 25 years since have shown us the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail and to win.”
He predicted that Americans generations from now would continue to remember those killed and those who responded.
“They will still honor the heroes of 9/11/2001, who no age will erase from the memory of time,” Trump said. “It will never, ever be forgotten. It will never be forgotten. And we can never forget.”