On the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, victims and firefighters
WASHINGTON – On September 11, 2001, U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris watched in horror as four hijacked commercial airliners crashed into New York City’s Twin Towers, a Pennsylvania field and the Pentagon. The tribute to the victims on the 23rd anniversary of the attack shocked the world and sparked a years-long U.S. war against extremists.
Biden and Harris visited the three locations on Wednesday to honor the nearly 2,977 lives lost that day. In New York City, they sat among leaders past and present, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, for the annual reading of the names of those killed in the Twin Towers collapse. .
Harris and Trump shook hands hours after the ceremony contentious presidential debate On Tuesday night, they accused each other of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in 2021, two decades after the United States invaded the country in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks.
Biden and Harris then traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to lay wreaths at a memorial near the site of the crash of United Airlines Flight 93.
They also brought pizza and beer to local volunteer firefighters.
According to reporters traveling with the president and vice president, the two walked to a sandstone boulder in a field that marked the site of impact.
Trump also visited a memorial in Shanksville and the crash site on Wednesday, according to media present.
Biden and Harris ended the day laying wreaths at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, where a hijacked plane struck the U.S. Defense Operations Center, killing 184 people.
“Twenty-three years ago today, terrorists believed they could break our will and bring us to submission. They were wrong. They will always be wrong,” Biden said in a statement. “In our darkest moments, we find light. In the face of fear, we come together – to defend our country and to help each other. That’s why terrorists target us first: our freedoms, our democracy, our Unity.
“They failed. But we must remain vigilant. Today, our longest war finally ends. But we will never promise to prevent another attack on our people,” he continued.
Both the president and Harris welcomed the Obama administration’s 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden. It has always been an enemy of the United States.
“Two years ago, President Biden ordered the operation that killed bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri,” Harris said in a statement. “We remain vigilant against any terrorist threats against the United States or the American people. Be vigilant and we will continue to dismantle whatever terrorist networks we discover.”
Parliament’s condolences
Congressional leaders also expressed their condolences to the victims on Wednesday.
New York Senate Majority Leader Schumer attended the morning ceremony at Ground Zero in Manhattan.
“Today and every day, we will remember and honor the sacrifice, resilience and bravery of New Yorkers, our first responders, the families of those taken, and Americans across the country,” Schumer posted on Wednesday Zhong said. “We will #neverforget the souls we lost on 9/11 and in the years since.”
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke on the Senate floor to honor the victims of 9/11 and criticize the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. He also attacked Harris for comments she made on the debate stage on Tuesday.
“The Biden-Harris administration is pretending that the war on terror is over,” the Kentucky Republican said. “The vice president himself claimed last night that ‘no American service member is on active duty in a war zone for the first time this century.'”
“This, of course, is news to U.S. service members conducting operations against ISIS in Iraq last week, to sailors intercepting Houthi rockets in the Red Sea, and to the families of service members killed and injured in attacks. Earlier this year, Jordan and Tower 22 near the Syrian border,” McConnell said, referring to attacks by Iranian-backed militants on transport ships and U.S. Air Force and Army bases in Jordan’s northernmost tip.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both laid wreaths at the 9/11 Memorial in the U.S. Capitol to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93.
“The 9/11 terrorists sought to destroy America, but they were no match for the indomitable American spirit. On this solemn day, we honor the lives lost and remember the strength and courage of our first responders who ran toward danger, Rather than fleeing danger. We will never forget their extraordinary sacrifice,” Louisiana’s Johnson said in a statement.
Jeffries, a New York Democrat, called attention to emergency workers who developed chronic health problems after working at the Manhattan crash site.
“Hundreds of first responders selflessly and courageously answered the call and ran toward danger. They risked their lives to rescue those they could find. As a result of the toxic exposure they suffered at Ground Zero,” Jeffries said in a statement. Substance exposure, many people later develop severe or terminal long-term illnesses. Fight New York firefighters.
“Our commitment to our brave first responders is ironclad and must endure. House Democrats will always support the heroes who gave their all on that tragic day,” Jeffries said, slamming Republicans for their actions in 2019 ’s doings. stagnationand some who voted against government health funding for disaster relief workers. “We will never forget their sacrifice.”
