FULL SPEECH: President Trump at Pentagon 9/11 remembrance ceremony

[applause]. [applause]. [applause]. Thank you very much. Thank you, Secretary Hexet, Secretary Rice, First Lady of the United States, Chairman Kaine, members of the United States military,

distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans. 25 times we have gathered at this. hallowed place and at ground zero in New. York and a lonely field near. Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In 25 years, a generation has passed. since the terror attacks.

of September 11th, 2001. Yet time has not dimmed the honor. of that day when our country came face. to face with true evil. At 8:20 a.m. on a cloudless Tuesday. morning, a beautiful day it was. American Airlines Flight 77, took off 25 miles from here, bound for.

Los Angeles. On board were three 11year-old students. heading on a cross-country field trip, a. father and a mother with their two young. daughters bound for international. adventure and a flight attendant whose. mind was elsewhere. She had just learned. that she was expecting her first child. and was so excited to tell. her mom and dad.

Here at the Pentagon, a Navy Herman had. just gotten off the phone with his. 10-year-old son. A secretary was celebrating her 46th. birthday. So happy she was. A sergeant. major was chatting with some colleagues. he had hosted for a dinner party over. the weekend. at 9:37 a.m. Every single one of those. people and every person at that Sergeant.

Major's party was murdered by terrorists. who flew Flight 77 straight into. this legendary building. It is indeed a. legendary building. So many wars have been won from this. building. With the events of that morning, 2,000. 977. beautiful souls were ripped from our.

world and many more died in the weeks. and years after. horrible. grotesque. injuries. So many were sustained. Today we renew the sacred oath that we. first swore in their names. a quarter of a century ago. We will. never ever.

forget. That's why we fight today. We don't have a choice. There can only. be victory. We fight hard. We fight to. win. We will always remember the victims. and the families of September 11th, 2001. Very famous. date, unfortunately. And it started out as such a beautiful.

day. We will honor their lives. We will. cherish their beautiful memories. And we. will protect this country and its. freedoms for every future generation. We. will protect it like never before. For anyone who lived it, no words can do. justice to the anguish of that day. After the first plane hit the north. tower of the World Trade Center,

Patrick Danahe left a message to comfort. his beautiful wife, Mary, letting her. know he was safe inside his office on. the South Towers. 90th floor. Mary was eight months pregnant and. playing with their two young daughters. when she heard Patrick's. voice. She loved him so much. She called. back, turned on the TV, the line rang,

and then it went completely dead. Very. unusual, she felt. Mary fell to her knees as she watched. United Flight 175 explode by her. husband's office. She saw it right by. the office. She knew exactly where the. office was. Right by. the office, seven floors up, Shimmy Bagel Eisen laid.

down on the carpet by his desk to escape. the smoke. It was horrible. Surrounded. by photos of his beautiful five. children. He was on the phone with his. wife, Miriam, praying to God when the. television showed her the dreadful. image. Things were happening that she. couldn't imagine. The South Tower was.

collapsing. with her husband and she loved him so. much inside. Free people must never avert their eyes. from. such hideous cruelty. We cannot forget. that moment. of immense and horrible evil. that took place in this world bent on.

the destruction of all that is good. But. this morning, we also remember how. America responded to that wickedness. On days like 911, we learn what a. country is truly made of. We're learning right now what we're made. of. And we have to be strong. And we. have to be smart. And Americans are made of a goodness and. spirit that can transcend any earthly.

force. And that's what we're doing. better than anyone else has ever been. able to do it because we are sustained. by a supreme strength far more powerful. than steel alone. Aboard flight 93 in the skies over. Pennsylvania. A brave flight attendant. boiled water to fight back. A loving father from New Jersey, Todd. Beamer, asked a telephone operator in.

Illinois to join him in the Lord's. Prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be. done on earth as it is in heaven.". And then he said. his last words, "Let's roll.". Today, as we remember the many lives. lost on 911, we also give thanks for the countless. lives saved by the immortal heroes of.

Flight 93. In those harrowing days after the. attacks, we saw the authentic spirit. of our nation. We were all New Yorkers that day. Every. one of us. We were all New Yorkers, but we were also all Americans. We were all family. We're all patriots. The enemy might destroy what American.

hands had built, but we could not touch. the fight and the fire and the love. in our great American hearts. At the. Pentagon on September 12th, General James Jackson ordered up the. largest flag in the military's. collection. And they think in the military's. history, first responders climbed to top the. walls and hung it next to the gaping.

holes in this building as a symbol of. American defiance. This morning, that. same flag is here to my right for the. first time since 2001, along with three. firefighters who raised it, Joseph. Morabido, Scott Morgan, and Carl Saulberg. Please. stand.

[applause]. >> [applause]. [applause]. >> 25 years after the attacks, we know the. world will never return to the way it. was at that dawn or that beautiful. peaceful Tuesday morning 2001. before the towers fell, before the. Pentagon was hit, before the spectre of.

eagle and this Horrible, horrible evil. came crashing into our lives. before we saw what took place in. Pennsylvania. Innocence is expecting. the future to be good because you have. not yet really been tested. We've been tested many times. We're. being tested today and we're winning. that test very handily. faith is still.

believing in that future even after you. have seen the absolute worst things that. you never thought possible to see. In the generation since 911, American. sons and daughters have traveled to the. darkest corners of the earth and done. battle with a shadowy enemy so that our. children might once again know carefree. days and cloudless skies. For 25 years, our best and bravest have.

kept. America safe. And today, we salute every. member of the United States military who. served in the war on terror. It is a war. on sick, horrible. terror. We salute our first responders and law. enforcement, and we love them. And 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. [applause]. A generation after 9/11, we also know. that the final response to those. atrocities and the ultimate victory over. the.

perpetrators. will not be found on a foreign. battlefield. It's right here in the. hearts of families like Tara Stack. Poles. Terara's husband Timmy. was a great firefighter, even a legendary one. After surviving a. five alarm fire in Brooklyn that burned. 40% of his body in 19. 98,

he spent three years recovering, learned. to walk again, and returned to the job. That's all he wanted to do was he just. wanted to fight fires. He said the greatest high you can ever. get in life is by helping someone and. making a difference. Especially when it. came to his profession, a dangerous. profession at that. On September 11th, the New York Daily News carried a story. announcing his promotion to captain in.

the New York City Fire Department. He. was so proud. His wife, his family was. so proud. Captain. Stack Paul said goodbye to Terara and. their five beautiful children that. morning. And when the planes hit a short time. later, he responded, leading a team into. the. unbelievably. unusual sight of a south tower that was.

burning. They lost their lives when the. towers fell. Somehow terror found the. strength to be a rock. not only for our. kids but for the countless. members of a very grieving fire. department. So many people were. grieving. They were devastated like. never before. And in the years that followed, she. raised those children to know, love, and. follow the example of their dad.

who just was not there with them any. longer. today. Their son Kevin is a Navy. veteran and a brave one at that. He's. had his moments. They were very, very big. Perhaps not like his father, but they were very big and very proud. And everyone's very proud of Kevin. He served in Iraq and is raising four. beautiful children of his own. Their son.

TJ became a captain in the Marines after. graduating from the US Naval Academy. Brian is raising two kids. Caitlyn is. raising three, including a 10-year-old. named Timmy. And Brendan is a proud member of his. dad's old company, Fire Department New York Rescue 2. That's quite a company, too. I grew up. in New York. I can tell you that's quite. a company. The Stack Pole family is here today.

Tara, Kevin, TJ, Brendan, Caitlyn, and. Timmy. Please stand, please. [applause]. [applause]. He's looking down on you. Very proud of. you. Thank you. No one can ever prepare for a day like.

911, but we can always choose to be the kind. of nation the world saw in those days. after. We can build families like the stack. poles. 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. And we. can be a nation whose heroes are not. fanatics.

for an abstract cause. They don't even know really what they're. doing, but the kind who race into. buildings and give their lives on a. Tuesday morning for strangers they've. never met. People. they didn't know gave their lives. And we can fill the lives of our. children with light and love that will. sustain them against any trial and.

transcend any darkness. whenever that darkness. may come. As scripture tells us, the light shines. in the darkness. and the darkness has not overcome it. September 11th reminded us of the. terrible. power of hate. The 25 years since have shown us the. even greater power of the American.

spirit to endure and prevail and to win. And today, our country is stronger than. it has ever been. before. It has never been as strong as. it is right now. Because of that spirit, when future. generations come here in 25, 100 or 250 years from now, they will. stand in a nation that is free and.

unyielding in the face of evil. And they will still honor the heroes of. 911 2001. who no age will erase from the memory of. time. It will never ever be forgotten. Will never be forgotten. And we can never forget. God bless our 911 families. God bless.

our unbelievable, brave, and beautiful. first responders. God bless the United. States military. And God bless America. Thank you very much. [applause]. [music]. [music]. Beautiful.

[music]. [music]. [music]. spacious. night for. >> [music]. >> of grasties.

[music]. of. the fruit. [music]. God [music] shed his grace on me. >> [music].