REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque President Trump honored the memory of the 40 United Airlines Flight 93 passengers and crew at the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pa., on the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Trump began the speech by praising the courage of the passengers and crew in standing up to the four terrorists who hijacked their plane “and changed the course of history.”
“Today we mourn their loss, we share their story and we commemorate their incredible valor,” Trump said.
The president also told the families who lost their loved ones on Flight 93 that America is here to help comfort them in their “great, great sorrow.”
“Your tears are not shed alone, for they are shared grief with an entire nation,” Trump said. “We grieve together for every mother and father, sister and brother, son and daughter, who was stolen from us at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and here in this Pennsylvania field. We honor their sacrifice by never flinching in the face of evil and do whatever it takes to keep America safe.”
Trump then explained how the passengers decided to charge the cockpit with boiling hot water, forcing the plane to crash in Pennsylvania instead of reaching the terrorists’ intended target, which is believed to have been the White House.
“Through their sacrifice, the 40 saved the lives of countless Americans and they saved our capital from a devastating strike,” Trump said.
Trump added, “A piece of America’s heart is buried on these grounds, but in its place has grown a new resolve to live our lives with the same grace and courage as the heroes of Flight 93.”
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