Former President George W. Bush used his 9/11 anniversary speech in Shanksville, Pennsylvania , Saturday to condemn 'violent ext...
Former President George W. Bush used his 9/11 anniversary speech in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Saturday to condemn 'violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,' calling them 'children of the same foul spirit.'
Bush also used his address to tell veterans and servicemembers that their sacrifices in the War on Terror weren't for nothing and pushed the nation to display the same sort of unity that was present in the days after September 11 2001.
'Many Americans struggled to understand why an enemy would hate us with such zeal,' Bush said.
'The security measures incorporated into our lives are both sources of comfort and reminders of our vulnerability.
'And we have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders but from violence that gathers within.'
The former president said there is 'little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home' except for their 'disregard of human life.'
'In their determination to defile national symbols they are children of the same foul spirit and it is our continuing duty to confront them,' Bush said - an apparent reference to both the 9/11 hijackers and the January 6 Capitol rioters.
Bush, who was less than one year into his presidency when 2,977 Americans were killed in the terrorist attacks, addressed victims' family members Saturday morning to mark the 20th anniversary of the horrific day.
The former Republican president was joined by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, where Flight 93 crashed after brave passengers and crew members on board tried to take the plane back from the terrorists on route to Washington DC.
All 40 passengers and crew died when the plane went down as they thwarted the attack on the terrorists' suspected target of either the White House or the US Capitol.
Former President George W. Bush used his 9/11 anniversary speech in Shanksville, Pennsylvania , Saturday to condemn 'violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,' calling them 'children of the same foul spirit.'
Former First Lady Laura Bush (left) and former President George W. Bush hold hands prior to his speech Saturday in Shanksville, Pennsylvania
The One World Trade Center is seen Saturday during the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City
Bush paid tribute to the people on board Flight 93 and said many people now alive 'owe a vast unconscious debt' to them.
'Twenty years ago, terrorists chose a random group of Americans on a routine flight to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror,' said Bush.
'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.'
He continued: 'Here the intended target became the instruments of rescue and many who are now alive owe a vast unconscious debt to the defiance displayed in the skies above this field.'
Bush also aimed to assuage concerns voiced by veterans and servicemembers that their time in Afghanistan was in vain - after the Taliban quickly took control of the country ahead of President Joe Biden's August 31 chaotic withdrawal.
'One thing is certain, we owe an assurance to all who have fought our nation's most recent battles,' Bush said. 'Let me speak directly to veterans and people in uniform.'
'You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden.
'You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. You have been a force of good in the world,' said the former commander-in-chief.
'Nothing that has followed, nothing, can tarnish your honor or diminish your accomplishments,' Bush stated. 'To you and to the honor of dead, our country is forever grateful.'
Bush recalled that in the weeks following the attacks 'I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people.'
'When it comes to the unity of America, those days seem distant from our own,' he said.
'Malign force seems at work in our common life. That turns every disagreement into an argument and every argument into a clash of cultures.'
'So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment,' he continued. 'That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together.'
Bush said that he had come to Pennsylvania 'without explanations or solutions.'
George W. Bush and Laura Bush put their hands on their hearts as they say a prayer during the 9/11 commemoration ceremony
Bush also used his address to tell veterans and servicemembers that their sacrifices in the War on Terror weren't for nothing and pushed the nation to display the same sort of unity that was present in the days after September 11 2001
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden lay a wreath at the Wall of Names during a visit to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville
'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,' Bush said to applause.
'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,' he said.
'At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome to immigrants and refugees. That is the nation I know,' Bush continued.
Bush also defended millennials, who he said were described as 'individualistic and decadent,' saying they embraced an 'ethic of service' and 'selfless action.'
'This is not mere nostalgia - it is the truest version of ourselves,' he said. 'It is what we have been. And what we can be again.'
Later when he visited Shanksville, President Joe Biden had high praise for Bush's remarks.
'I thought that President Bush made a really good speech today,' Biden said. 'Genuinely good speech, about who we are. The core of who we are is not divided.'
Harris also addressed the survivors and victims' families gathered, in Shanksville, calling on Americans to remember the 'unity' that came out of the tragedy two decades ago.
The vice president said such unity is 'essential to our shared prosperity, our national security, and to our standing in the world.'
'On the days that followed September 11th, 2001, we were all reminded that unity is possible in America. We were reminded, too, that unity is imperative in America.
'It is essential to our shared prosperity, our national security, and to our standing in the world,' Harris said.
President Joe Biden gazes upward as he attends Saturday's 9/11 memorial ceremony alongside Dr. Jill Biden, the Clintons, the Obamas and other elected officials
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden depart New York City Saturday en route to Shanksville, Pennsylvania where the president will lay a wreath to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks
From left: Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Diana Taylor, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer place their hands on their hearts at the beginning of the 9/11 ceremony
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