gentlemen, on behalf of the united states department of defense, we welcome you to the annual september 11 observance to honor and remember the 184 lives lost on american airlines flight 77 and at the pentagon at 9:37 a.m. on september 11, 2001. gentlemen, actiq director of administration and organizational policy. -- acting director of administration and organizational policy.

>> senior leaders, federal congressional leaders, families, friends of the victims, survivors here in the building. the pentagon community at all the partners over here. you toto welcome all of the pentagon memorial and i want to welcome all of you to the september 11 observance. gather here to remember the victims of the horrific , we will8 years ago or theorget the victims parents, spouses, children, coworkers and friends. we will never forget the survivors in the building. we will never forget the first responders both from inside the pentagon and from outside the in with all rushed

the partners, the county, state and federal to help save lives and stabilize the building. here at the pentagon on september 11, i will never of september 11 and the following days and andhs to help with recovery to help rebuild the pentagon. our national defense icon. connected together as one pentagon family. all of us. we are much stronger. we are much resilient to defend our nation and to do what's right. all ofi want to welcome you to the pentagon memorial and to this observance. thank you very much. [applause]

>> please remain silent and silence all mobile devices for the duration of the ceremony and as the names of those who were killed 18 years ago are remembered. dr. paul w ambrose. specialist craig simonson united states army.

petty officer 3rd class melissa rose barnes, united states navy. master sergeant max j bell p, united states army retired. dr. yenene bitru. petty officer second-class chris hundat, united states navy. blackburn.

colonel canfield d. boone, united states army. boot.ane donna m. bowen. out alan p boyle -- alan p boyle. bernard c brown the second.

petty officer 3rd class christopher l burford united states navy. captain charles f burlingame the third, united states navy reserve retired. petty officer 3rd class daniel m, yarrow, united states navy. sergeant first class jose o. cal deron, united states army.

susanne and callie. angeline c carter. sharon a carver. william e caswell. sergeant first class john jay chadha, united states army retired. rosa maria chapo.

david m charla boyd. sarah m clark. t cooper. asia s cotton. lieutenant commander eric a cranford, united states navy. ada m davis.

james d debonair. captain gerald f t deconto, united states navy. rodney dickens. lieutenant colonel jerry dave dickerson, united states army. eddie a dillard. petty officer first-class johnny

dr. jr., united states navy. captain robert e dolan jr., united states navy. commander william h donovan, united states navy. lieutenant commander charles draws the third, united states navy retired. commander patrick done, united states navy.

petty officer first-class edward t ehrhardt, u.s. navy. barbara g edwards. lieutenant commander robert r nelson, united states navy reserve. charles s falkenberg. and his wife, leslie a whittington.

and their two children, dana and zoe falkenberg. petty officer 3rd class jamie l fallon, united states navy. jay joseph ferguson. amelia v fields. gerald p fisher. flag andhe flag -- e

her husband, rear admiral will wilson f flag, retired. petty officer second-class matthew m flock oh, united states navy. sandra and foster. lieutenant richard p gabriel, united states marine corps retired. captain lawrence d get straight, united states navy. gee.z

brenda c gibson. colonel ronald f galinsky, united states army retired. gray. diane hail mckenzie. stanley r hall. carolyn b hellman. michelle m heidelberger. sheila ms heinz. petty officer first-class ronald

j hemingway, united states navy. major wallace: hogan jr., united states army. staff sergeant jimmy i holly, united states army retired. house.m brady k howell. hurt.m colonel stephen and highland jr., united states army. colonel robert j hamel, united states air force retired.

sergeant major lacing the ivory, united states army. c jack. stephen d jacoby. colonel dennis m johnson, united states army. l jones. ann see judge -- c judge. brenda kegler. r keller. e kennedy.

cruz khan. karen n kincaid. lieutenant michael s lamanna, united states navy. david w late check. dong cho lee. jennifer lewis. and her husband, kenneth e lewis. samantha l light born alan.

major stephen v long, united states army. james t lynch jr. karen's m lynch. petty officer second-class n ahamen leinz iv, united states navy. shelley a marshall. teresa m martin. ada l mason hacker. colonel dean e madsen, united states army.

general timothy j von, united states army. robert j maxwell. a may. mckenzie. marie manchaca. e.tricia e mikell milo, unitedde states army. gerard p moran jr. odessa v morris. first-class brian

a moss, united states navy. moy lieutenant commander patrick j murphy, united states. . christopher c newton. petty officer second-class michael a nolan, united states navy. olson. k ornado. diana b pedro. m panec.t jonas

united states navy reserve. jr., clifford l patterson united states army. robert pittenger. longer the third. plauger.ife sandra f lieutenant darren hp and tell, ll,ted states -- h ponte united states navy reserve. scott powell. d punches, united states navy retired. first-class joseph er, united states navy.

lisa j raines. deborah a ramser. smussen.ue raz petty officer first-class marcia d rochford, united states navy. martha m reske. todd h ruben. cecelia the lawson richard -- e lawson richard. v rallinhorse. rowley.

major robert e russell, united states army retired. chief lawrence officer william r lawrence officer william r ruth, united states army reserve. charles e sabin senior. salamone.'s sanmartino. united david m scales, states army. commander robert a slago, united states navy.

janice m scott. colonel michael l sells, united states army retired. serva.h commander dan f shanower, united states navy. antoinette m sherman. diane m simmons. husband george w simmons. donald d simmons.

sincock. h smallwood, united states navy. lieutenant colonel gary f smith, united states army retired. mary ray solberg. robert spies meant. j stotts. stevens. normal laying sterling.

sergeant major marielle strickland, united states army. e taylor. colonel kipp p taylor, united states army. taylor. c taylor. d thieg. tipi, unitedrl w states army retired. sergeant tamera c thurman, united states army. commander otis v told

bert, united states navy. staff sergeant willie q troy, united states army retired. jeutenant commander ronald flock, united states army reserve. lieutenant colonel karen j wegner, united states army. l fuller. sun pak wells, united states army. maudlin a white, united states army. white.l n wilshire.

commander david l williams, united states navy. major between williams, united states army. chief marvin roger woods, united states navy retired. captain john d yemnicki senior, united states navy retired. vicki yancey. petty officer second-class kevin w yoakam, united states navy. young, united states navy.

jr.nd g young lisa l young. shuin yung. hyu gwong jeng.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please ferment silent for the arrival of the official party. the national anthem performed by united states navy sea chanters, a moment of silence to honor those killed and the indication delivered by chaplain major general steven shipe. air force chief of chaplains. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general joseph f dunford jr. > te secretary of defense, mark

ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states -- mrs.es melania trump melania trump. ♪ >> ♪ oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. o say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a prayerful moment of silence. past. our help in ages our hope for years to come. our shelter from the stormy blast. and our eternal home. loving god, 18 years ago terrorists sought to crush and divide us. witnessed theorld true american spirit.

survivors andth shed tears for people we never met. we gave thanks for the men and women who put their lives at risk in an attempt to rescue and aid total strangers. and today we remember the children, parents, spouses, family and friends whose hearts will forever know this thing of grief. benot, we pray, let our hope overtaken by anger. do not, we pray, let our hearts remain flooded with despair. be our refuge in our strength, our ever present help in trouble. promise us rest in your that even if we forget you, you will never forget us. and as persons of many faith,

nations and cultures gather today, use this ceremony to make all of us little more like the , in towers survivor who said still have the shoes i wore to work that day. the souls are melted and they are caked in ash. reminder of my god's presence and the life i owed to him. may this be our prayer. amen. ladies, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general joseph f dunford jr. >> mr. president, misses trump, secretary and misses esper, distinguished guests and most importantly to the survivors of

the fun where with this, good morning. it's an honor to join you at this sacred place where 184 men, women and children were taken from us before their time. they and those lost at the world trade center where the innocent victims of an unprovoked attack. and while they were taken from us prematurely, their memory lives on. we are here today to renew our commitment to never forget. the terrorist attacks were intended to challenge their way of life and they sought to break our spirit. but their purpose was never realized. that day made us stronger. more determined and more resolved to protect our nation and that for which it stands. -- as president george bush said, terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of america. steel.cts shatter they cannot dent the steagall of

american resolve. and that resolve carries on as we stand here today, our nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen are performing their duty across the globe, doing what must be done. morning to this remember those lost on september 11, 2001, i hope the american people also find comfort knowing that a new generation of men and women have stepped forward to serve and protect our way of life. and now i'm honored to introduce someone who has embraced public service for decades, are 27 secretary of defense, the honorable mark esper. [applause] thank you general dunford. lady,esident, first members of congress. fellow cabinet members.

men and women of the department of defense and most especially, friends and family members of the patriots of september 11 2001. pentagon ande thank you for joining us as we gather here to honor those lost on that tragic day and to recognize the heroes who rose to the occasion in the face of evil. this morning's ceremony affirms our commitment to never forget that fateful day 18 years ago. terrorists from a distant land attacked the spirit of our nation. on a grassy field in pennsylvania, in the twin towers of new york city and here at the pentagon, they stole the lives of thousands of innocent people.

fearful of america's values, ideas and freedoms, our nations enemies sought to dim the beacon of hope that america has long shown throughout the world. and while the terrorist attacks brought great pain, the american people responded with even greater bravery and determination. most of us recall exactly where we were when we first learned that our nation was under attack. some were at work. others were at home. in this of the present very building when flight 77 crashed through its concrete walls. remember the, we initial shock and disbelief we the first airliners struck the world trade center. we remember the stories of our fellow americans who chose to run toward the smoke and fire to save others. our soldiers,r

sailors, airmen and marines who brought justice to those responsible. this 18th anniversary of 9/11, service members who were not even born on that day now stand among our ranks. and theyear passes details of that tragic day fade, we must ensure the memories of the departed do not. memorial where we gather for today's ceremony stands as an enduring testament to remember them, to honor them, to recall their sacrifice. but also, it inspires future generations to serve in defense of our great nation. history, america has faced challenges from many adversaries and while 9/11 may have transformed our great nation, it also reaffirmed america's commitment to defend

our people and way of life. a commitment that remains unchanged since the founding of the republic 243 years ago. i am proud to stand here today with all of you as we remember all of those who gave their lives so that all of us may continue to live in freedom. ladies and gentlemen, it is now my great privilege to welcome a leader who has kept america safe and secure, a commander in chief who has rebuilt our military and a president who puts the defense of our great nation and our people above all else. please join me in welcoming the president of the united states, president donald trump. [applause] >> thank you very much, secretary esper.

today our nation honors and mourns the nearly 3000 lives that were stolen from us on september 11, 2001. peoplee grounds, 184 were murdered when al qaeda terrorists overtook american airlines flight 77 and crashed it into the pentagon. american who lived through that day, the september 11 attack is seared into our solo. it was a day filled with shock, horror, sorrow and righteous fury. i vividly remember when i first heard the news. home watching a major business television show early that morning. jack welch, the legendary head of general electric, was about to be interviewed, when all of a sudden they cut away.

at first, there were different reports. it was a boiler fire. but i knew that boilers aren't at the top of the building. it was a kitchen explosion. in windows on the world. nobody really knew what happened. there was great confusion. i was looking out of the window from a building at midtown, manhattan. directly at the world trade plane when i saw a second at a tremendous speed go into the second tower. it was then that i realized the world was going to change. be ando longer going to it could never ever be that innocent place that i thought it was. soon after i went down to ground zero with men who worked for me to try to help in any little way

that we could. we were not alone. so many others were scattered around trying to do the same. they were all trying to help. but for the families who join us, this is your anniversary of personal and permanent loss. it's the day that has replayed in her memory thousand times over. the last case, the last phone call. the last time hearing those precious words, i love you. then the attack. the anguish of knowing your family member had boarded one of these flights or was working in the world trade center or serving right here at the pentagon. he waited, you prayed, you answered. call and yourded life changed forever.

to each of you, the first lady and i are united. grief.u in we come here in the knowledge ort we cannot erase the pain reverse the people of that dark and wretched day. we offer you all that we have, our unwavering loyalty, our undying devotion and our eternal pledge that your loved ones will never ever be forgotten. terroristso, the struck. this citadel of power and american strength. learnedenemies soon that they cannot weaken the spirit of our people. in times of distress -- host: we a