President Donald Trump remembered the victims of Sept. 11 in a 17th anniversary speech at the crash site of hijacked flight United 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“Flight 93 was hijacked by evil men bent on terror and conquest. Passengers and crew members began using their phones to call home,” Trump said.
“In the last 20 minutes, many placed their final calls home, whispering those eternal words, I love you,” he continued. “Some said the Lord’s prayer, and then they bravely charged the cockpit. They attacked the enemy, they fought until the very end, and they stopped the forces of terror and defeated this wicked, horrible, evil plan.”
The president said the crash site represents a monument to “American defiance” in the spirit of the Flight 93 passengers who fought back against the 9/11 hijackers and forced the plane down before it could strike Washington, D.C.
Trump signed a proclamation commemorating 9/11 designating Tuesday as “Patriots Day,” saying, “today, we honor the memories of the souls we lost on September 11, 2001, and pay tribute to all of the patriots who have sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom. We pray for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen currently serving our Nation in harm’s way.”