Trump Pays Tribute to the Flight 93 Heroes in 9/11 Memorial Speech: ‘We Honor Their Extraordinary Sacrifice’

President Donald Trump paid tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including the heroes of Flight 93, during his speech marking the 19th anniversary of September 11, 2001 on Friday.

“19 years ago, on this day, at this very hour, on this field, 40 brave men and women triumphed over terror and gave their lives in defense of our nation,” Trump declared. “Their names and their stories are forever inscribed on the eternal roll call of American heroes.”

“Today we pay tribute to their sacrifice, and we mourn deeply for the nearly 3,000 precious and beautiful souls who were taken from us on September 11th, 2001,” he continued. “To the family members of Flight 93, today every heartbeat in America is wedded to yours. Your pain and anguish is the shared grief of our whole nation. The memory of your treasured loved ones will inspire America for all time to come.”

“The heroes of flight 93 are an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter the odds, America will always rise up, stand tall, and fight back,” Trump went on, before adding, “the First Lady and I come to this hallowed ground deeply aware that we cannot fill the void in your heart or erase the terrible sorrow of this day. The agony renewed, the nightmare relived, the wounds reopened, the last treasured words played over and over again in your minds. But while we cannot erase your pain, we can help to shoulder your burden.”

Trump then promised the families of victims the “unwavering love that you so want and need, support, devotion, and the very special devotion of all Americans.”

“On that September morning when America was under attack, the battle turned in the skies above this field. Soon after taking off from Newark, New Jersey, radical Islamic terrorists seized control of United 93,” Trump recalled. “Other hijacked planes struck the north tower of the World Trade Center and then the south tower, and then the Pentagon. The terrorists on Flight 93 had a fourth target in mind. It was called our nation’s Capitol. They were just twenty minutes away from reaching their sinister objective.”

“The only thing that stood between the enemy and a deadly strike at the heart of American democracy was the courage and resolve of 40 men and women. The amazing passengers and crew of Flight 93,” he explained, before listing some of the passengers of Flight 93.

Donald and Jean Peterson were grandparents traveling to vacation in California. Deora Bodley was a student headed back to college. Richard Guadagno was returning from celebrating his grandmother’s 100th birthday. Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas was three months pregnant with her first child. Every passenger and crew member on the plane had a life filled with love and joy, friends and family, radiant hopes and limitless dreams. When the plane was hijacked, they called their families and learned that America was also under attack. Then they faced the most fateful moment of their lives.

Through the heartache and the tears, they prayed to God, they placed their last calls home, they whispered the immortal words: I love you. Today those words ring out across these sacred grounds and they shine down on us from heaven above. When terrorists raced to destroy the seat of our democracy, the 40 of Flight 93 did the most American of things. They took a vote and then they acted. Together they charged the cockpit. They confronted the pure evil and in their last act on this Earth, they saved our Capitol. In this Pennsylvania field, the 40 intrepid souls of Flight 93 died as true heroes.

Their momentous deeds will outlive us all. In the days and weeks after 9/11, citizens of all faiths, background, colors, and creeds came together, prayed together, mourned together, and rebuilt together. The song God Bless America became a rallying cry for the nation. We were united by our conviction that America was the world’s most exceptional country blessed with the most incredible heroes, and that this was a land worth defending with our very last breath. It was a unity based on love for our families, care for our neighbors, loyalty to our fellow citizens, pride in our great flag, gratitude for our police and first responders, faith in God, and a refusal to bend our will to the depraved forces of violence, intimidation, oppression and evil.

In New York, Arlington, and Shanksville people raced into the suffocating smoke and rubble. At ground zero, the world witnessed the miracle of American courage and sacrifice as ash rained down, police officers, first responders, and firefighters ran into the fires of hell. On that day, more than 400 first responders gave their lives, including 23 New York City police officers, 37 port authority workers, and 343 New York City firefighters. Today we honor their extraordinary sacrifice and every first responder who keeps America safe.

Watch the full speech above via Fox News.