Former President George W. Bush delivered a moving speech Saturday as the country solemnly commemorated the 20th anniversary of 9/11, contrasting with the solidarity he witnessed in the days following the attacks with divisions that exist in the country today.
“Twenty years ago we all noticed – in different ways, in different places, but all at the same time – that our lives would change forever. heard see again,” he said at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“These lives are still precious to our country, and incredibly precious to many of you,” he said. “Today we remember your loss, we share your sadness, and we honor the men and women you loved so long and so well.”
Bush said that on America’s darkest day, “the actions of the enemy revealed the spirit of a people.”
“We are proud of our wounded country,” he told the crowd. “In these memories, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 must always have a place of honor. Here the intended targets became the tools of the rescue. And many of those alive today suffer from one thing. enormous, unconscious debt to the challenge that manifests in the sky of this field.”
The former president went on to talk about the difficulty of trying to understand why America is a target, and said “the security measures introduced into our lives are both a source of comfort and a reminder remind us of our vulnerability.”
“And we’ve seen more and more evidence that the danger to our country can come not just across the border, but also from the violence that gathers within. There is little cultural overlap. between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,” Bush said, apparently referencing Jan .6 Capitol Riots.
“But with their contempt for pluralism, their disregard for human life, their determination to defile national symbols, they are the children of the same evil spirit. And it is our duty to do so. have to confront them,” he said.
Bush, who was reading to Florida students when the plane crashed 20 years ago, reflected on how the country came together in the days following the terrorist attacks.
“On America’s day of trial and sorrow, I see millions instinctively take their neighbor’s hand and rally for each other’s cause. That’s the America I know. At a time when Religious bigotry may have been rampant, I’ve seen Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of the Muslim faith. That’s the country I know,” he said.
“At a time when capitalism can engender hatred and violence against those seen as outsiders, I have seen Americans reaffirm their welcome to those seen as outsiders,” he said. immigrant and refugee countries that I know of”. “At a time when some see the rising generation as individualistic and decadent, I see young people following an ethic of service and rising to act selflessly. That’s the country I know. “
