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>> i think the message is masks are good. >> thank you. [indiscernible] >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi, speaker of the united states house of representatives. >> it is my sad rate honor to welcome members of congress and the congressional community to the commemoration observing 20 years since the terror attack september 11. that day we suffered losses we could not fathom and witnessed heroism that we will never forget. today and always, americans are united in grief for those who lost their lives and for their

families and gratitude for the heroes of the day. may their memories always be a blessing. >> ladies and gentlemen, to sing the national anthem, the united states army band. pershing's own. >> ♪ o 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 oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free home of the brave ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the house chaplain. >> would you pray with me? holy and eternal god, we approach you today, remembering a clear, blue skies and a nation at peace. we ask your presence among us as the memory is shattered by the

tragedy that followed when in an instant, our country was robbed of its security and bereft of thousands of its citizens. we pray your peace over us as we wrestle with the aftermath of that defining day in our nations history. the sacrifice of too many sons and daughters who gave their lives to defend of the freedom assaulted on that serene day. the grief of countless families and the violence and upheaval that ensued across the globe. as we gather today, remind us that while preserving freedom has clearly not been free, you have consecrated the sacrifice of the noble men and women who have given up their lives to defend our liberties. neither their deaths, the ongoing suffering of those who have survived, nor the depth of our grief will ever be in vain.

these sacrifices are a monument to the virtue, the liberty, the peace and justice on which our nation was founded into which you have called each of us to uphold, holy god may we be worthy of their legacy and and noble by the depth of your compassion and the hope of your salvation. god bless america and receive our prayers as we offer them in the strength of your name. amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable kevin mccarthy, republican leader of the united states house of representatives. >> winston churchill once said that courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is a quality that guarantees all others. churchill knew that without

courage, nothing else is possible. there is no better example, none, then how americans responded on september 11, two thousand one. many gave their lives for strangers, inspired by a sense of duty and love for others. it is impossible not to admire them. most difficult circumstances is an inspiration to us all and we will never forget. todd beamer and the heroes on flight 93, who as the attacks unfolded took a vote, set a prayer, and took matters into their own hands. why? that is what americans do. the firefighters who cleared the rubble from ground zero in search of survivors, determined to leave nobody behind. why? that is what americans do.

the warriors who took the fight to the enemy and kept us safe from another 9/11 from -- four over 20 years. why? that's what americans do. 20 years ago, we saw the true people, and people that tried to destroy us. but good people become heroes in hard times and that is how the american people responded. heroically. we rallied around the principles of freedom that came under attack. we comforted families, friends, and neighbors. churches flung open their doors and we came in, calling out to god for help and hope. we had the sense to know that there was something more important than politics and we stood together united, proud to be americans. we's -- we flew the flags across the country to honor the first responders who lost their lives and celebrate the undying

american values that a cowardly act of terrorism could not extinguish. a record of how a dark hour of american history becoming one of our finest hours. the cowards who wanted to destroy our way of life, they tried to break our spirits and instead revealed that those who live in freedom have a rare reservoir of strength that nobody else has. two decades later, we continue to mourn the victims and honor our heroes. we cannot mourn without honoring and we cannot honor without resolving to do everything we can to prevent another terrorist attack on american soil. together we continue to honor the memories of the fallen by making never forget it 365 day commitment. it is up to us, everyone, to make this pledge meaningful. thank you and god bless america.

>> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable mitch mcconnell, republican leader of the united states senate. >> 20 years ago, the united states of america was reeling. our initial shock was settling into deeper pain. early confusion was becoming lasting anger. but as the stories of september the 11th began to be told and heard, one thing became clear. in the long run, that people day would not only be remembered as a time when america was briefly laid low. no, that day in the days that followed, we also showed the

world how the greatest country in the world sticks together, stays strong, and stands back up. when routine flights became deadly weapons, ordinary passengers used their final moments to save more innocent lives and quite likely this capital. when clear blue skies clouded with smoke, first responders rushed fearlessly towards the biggest calls of their careers and, for too many, their last. as families grieved and cities mourned, volunteers piled up prayers and mountains of goodwill. even higher than the piles of rubble. for 20 years, thousands of our bravest deployed to the lands from which this people was launched to make our refrain, never again, a reality.

the attacks of september 11 have stolen the lives of about 3000 of our people. for thousands of family and friends, this anniversary will forever be deeply, terribly personal. two decades of fighting back against terrorist killers, thousands more newly minted old star families have been dealt with their own life-changing sorrows because of this day. know that your country still stands with you. your fellow citizens will share your grief. not one american sacrifice has been in vain. we renew our commitment that we will never be broken and we ensure our unity and resolve runs even deeper than our sadness. our job is resolved, preserve our vigilance and never surrender to the tempting but mistaken myth that people alone

by america will leave america alone in return. today we solemnly remember the day that we said never again. let us also remember what it takes to keep the promise. >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable charles schumer, majority leader of the united states senate. >> madame speaker, leader mccarthy, leader mcconnell, colleagues and friends, 20 years ago on a beautiful day much like this one, our country, our people, changed forever. in just over an hour, two planes collided into the towers of the world trade center, a fourth crash down in a field in

pennsylvania, a third hit the pentagon. the worst act of terrorism in the history of the nation. i clearly remember what it was like. president bush, senator clinton and i got into a plane to go back to new york the day after. the smell of death hung in the air. a scene that i will never forget and will think of all the time, hundreds and hundreds of frightened, scared, worried people holding up makeshift posters and signs with pictures. have you seen my brother, bill. have you seen my daughter, joan. i still remember the people i knew who perished. the guy i played basketball with in brooklyn who was on flight 93. a businessman who helped me on the way up. a firefighter i did blood drives with. and so many just average folks, good americans, good new yorkers in that tower. cooks and waiters.

clerks, health-care workers, government workers, financial executives. this most vicious act, one of the most vicious acts ever in human crime -- humankind spared nobody, spared nobody. i called on americans to wear the flag the day after. i still wear this flag every day in remembrance of those who were lost get it has been a long road since 9/11. our country has changed in ways we could scarcely have imagined back then. one thing has not changed. our obligation to remember and honor every single american we lost that day. we honor the memory of the parents who never came home, the friends never seen, and the countrymen and country women taken too soon. we mourn for those lost in the aftermath of the attack. the first responders who, like

our armed forces, thought not of themselves, but of their fellow citizens as they rushed to danger and went to work at ground zero and the pile. they represented the best, the very best of what it means to be an american. we remember the legions of firefighters and cops, union workers from the building trades, the rescue workers who worked the pile only to become sick later, far too many of them ultimately passing from there illnesses. more have died from those illnesses, unfortunately, than those who died at the towers. to the first responders who survived, we hold a special obligation to care for their health and the health of their loved ones. finally, we remember and honor the military members injured in service -- injured in the service of their country as our troops make their return home from abroad. let us commit to always care for

them, too. to care for their families and never, ever lose sight of the sacrifice they made. my friends, the world has not been the seine -- not been the same since the attack of september 11 and the loss of that get -- that day can never be recovered. 20 years later, let us never forget that for all its horrors, september 11th revealed something fundamental and powerful about the american spirit. something revealed by the bravery of the first responders at ground zero, those who lined up at prayer vigils. by a man whose -- who as i remember, at a shoe store north of the towers, gave shoes freely to all those who had walked by and escape from the rubble, as they didn't have shoes trying to rush down the stairs. in short, september 11 revealed

the fundamental goodness, courage, and resiliency of the american people. a resiliency that brought my city back after so many counted her out. a few months after people said new york would never come back but a few years after you could walk through lower manhattan and marvel at how she was thriving more prosperous lee than ever. 20 years later, 20 years later, let us work together to keep tapping into that unique american sense of resiliency. there is no better way to honor those that we lost that day. no better way to fulfill the promise to never forget, now more than ever. god bless all of you, god bless america. >> ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi, speaker of the united states house of representatives. >> thank all of you for being here this morning. i want to especially thank brian

lozano in the u.s. army band quartet for leading us with the national anthem this morning. i want to thank members of the leadership, mr. schumer, mr. mcconnell, mr. mccarthy, for their beautiful remarks, and thank you to steny hoyer and other members of the leadership for being with us as well as other members of congress from all over the country. i wanted to share some thoughts with you about this weekend. over the weekend we have had some sad observances of what happened that day. friday we began here, with flight 93, the flight attendants and pilots talking about their friends who were on that flight that was destined for the capital, supposedly destined for the capital. flight 93. as i think about everything we heard then and in new york,

ground zero, at the ceremony on saturday, three is the number i will remember so that we never forget flight 93, headed for the capital. bravery encourage on that flight , sparing us that tragedy. in new york, 343 firefighters lost their lives. i'm not talking about other consequences following. i'm talking about 343 firefighters losing their lives that day. 31 members of the new york police department. 93, 343, 31. 13 of our young people in those last days of afghanistan.

let the number three be a way for you to remember and never forget what happened. one saturday, we heard speeches and presentations made only by family members, beautiful and appropriate. we heard little grandchildren say i never met you, grandpa, but i know that you were a guardian angel in heaven. people filled with faith. moms talking about their children looking and acting like their dads. the connection, the connection. so beautiful. faith filled, praying as they remembered. just comrades on the battle, in the battle there, talking about the friends they lost. demonstrating a faith in god, faith in each other. faith in america. it was a very, it has been a very unifying time, as it was

right from the start, with the president's remarks that they, president bush, as well as president obama. president lincoln cautioned against the silent artillery of time. the harsh artillery of time eroding our memory. today and always, we renew our valve. time shall not give him the memory of our fallen heroes. we pray that the years might ease the pain of the bereaved, but never the luster of the deeds of the fallen. when we visit the memories of september 11, we are on sacred ground. 20 years ago on that clear tuesday morning, america was forever changed by an act of terrorism. in a moment, nearly 3000 lives

were taken and the innocence of a generation was lost. yet in our darkest moment, america shows the world our greatness and the heroism of the first responders who rushed to danger and the strength and the strangers founded by the loss of the strangers who found unity in our agony. as americans mark this solemn day, we recommit to our sacred promise to never forget. may god bless the families of those who lost their loved ones, those who helped those families, and may god bless america. now i invite all of you to join us in a moment of silence.

>> ladies and gentlemen, senate

chaplain dr. barry black. >> let us pray. eternal god, or shelter and shield, today we again remember 9/11. as we recall the tragedy, infamy, and heroism of that day, we better understand that freedom isn't free. we remember how the pain united us so that we knew that we were not hyphenated americans, but one people. lord, whose us in these contentious times with a similar spirit of oneness, inspiring us to work for the well-being of

all people. we are grateful for the protection you have provided us, for the 20 years since that calamitous day. as we embrace the promise to never to forget, help us to never forget that you continue to be our refuge and strength. a very present help in times of trouble, so that we have no need to fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea, we pray in your sovereign name. amen.

>> ladies, singing god bless america, the united states army band. >> ♪ god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her thru the night with the light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam god bless america my home sweet home god bless america my home sweet home ♪

>> thank you. [laughter] >> well done. [indiscernible]

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