Former President George W. Bush delivered remarks at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA on the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
I come without explanations or solutions.
I can only tell you what I've seen.
On America's day of trial and grief,
I saw millions of people instinctively
grab for a neighbor's hand
and rally to the cause of one another--
That is the America I know.
At a time when religious bigotry might
have flowed freely,
I saw Americans reject prejudice
and embrace people of Muslim faith--
That is the nation I know.
At a time when nativism could have
stirred hatred and violence
against people perceived as outsiders,
I saw America's reaffirm their welcome
to immigrants and refugees--
That is the nation I know.
At a time when some viewed the rising
generation as individualistic and decadent,
I saw young people embrace an ethic of service
and rise to selfless action--
That is the nation I know.
This is not mere nostalgia.
It is the truest version of ourselves.
It is what we have been
and what we can be again.
20 years ago, terrorists chose a random
group of Americans on a routine flight
to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror.
The 33 passengers and seven crew of Flight 93
could have been any group of citizens selected by fate.
In a sense,
they stood in for us all.
The terrorists soon discovered
that a random group of Americans
is an exceptional group of people
facing an impossible circumstance.
They comforted their loved ones by phone,
braced each other for action,
and defeated the designs of evil.
These Americans were brave strong and
united in ways that shocked the terrorists
which should not surprise any of us.
This is the nation we know.
And whenever we need hope and inspiration
We can look to the skies and remember.
God bless you.
--Former President George W. Bush Remarks on 20th
Anniversary of September 11th Attacks
