President Trump and Melania board Air Force One to travel to Shanksville for 9/11

President Donald Trump has paid tribute to those who died on September 11th and members of the military who lost their lives in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks while speaking at a memorial service in Shanksville on Friday.

‘More than 7,000 Military Heroes have laid down their lives since 9/11 to preserve our freedom,’ Trump said. ‘No words can express the summit of their glory or the infinite depth of our gratitude. But we will strive every single day to repay our immeasurable debt and prove worthy of their supreme sacrifice.’

He also remembered the 40 people who lost their lives on United Flight 93, when they brought down the plane in a field in Pennsylvania as al Qaeda hijackers were flying it toward Washington D.C.

‘Our sacred task, our righteous duty, and our solemn pledge, is to carry forward the noble legacy of the brave souls who gave their lives for us 19 years ago,’ he said.

‘In their memory, we resolve to stand united as one American nation, to defend our freedoms – to uphold our values – to love our neighbors – to cherish our country – to care for our communities – to honor our heroes – and to never forget.’

The president also offered words to unite country in its day of mourning.

‘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 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,’ he added.

The Trumps are in Shanksville to mark the 19th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The two sat quietly during the memorial service as the name of each person who died was read aloud with a bell striking after each one.

In route to the area – which is an 18 minute flight to Washington D.C. – the first couple held a moment of silence on Air Force One to mark the moment the first plane hit one of the Twin Towers on September 11.

The Trumps stood with staff in the conference room on the presidential plane at 8:46 a.m. – when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower.

Trump stood with his arms clasped. The first lady stood beside him.

‘God bless America,’ White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said when the moment of silence was concluded.

‘God Bless America,’ the president repeated.

The Trumps were in route to Shanksville, Pennsylvania to mark the 19th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

Neither spoke as they boarded Air Force One for the short flight. The president was dressed in a dark suit and tie while the first lady was in a black dress and sunglasses. 

Neither Trump wore face masks upon their departure from Joint Base Andrews.

While the Trumps are in Pennsylvania, Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Jill Biden spent the morning in New York City for the memorial ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial Plaza, the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell. 

The Bidens wore face masks for the event.

Biden told reporters traveling with him it was a ‘solemn day.’

‘I’m not going to talk about anything other than 9/11. We took all our advertising down. It’s a solemn day. That’s how we’re going to keep it,’ he said.

Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence were also in New York for the ceremony there. 

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood between the two couples during the ceremony, where bagpipes played and a bell rang at 8:46 am to mark the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower.

The Bidens will travel to Shanksville in the afternoon to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial.

The Trumps will be gone by then – meaning the two presidential nominees will miss one another.

But the president and first lady will stay for the ceremony. The Trumps marked 9/11 in Shanksville in 2018 and spent the 2017 and 2019 anniversaries at the Pentagon.

The usual 90 minute ceremony in Shanksville will be reduced to a to a 20 minute ‘Moment of Remembrance,’ the National Park Service said. The park service arranges the memorial and cares for the area.

There will be no keynote speaker nor musical talent. The name of each passenger and crew member will be read aloud with the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance. This moment will observe the exact time Flight 93 crashed at 10:03 a.m.

Just outside Shanksville is the 2,200-acre Flight 93 National Memorial Park, which marks the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field on September 11, 2001, killing all 40 civilians and four al-Qaeda hijackers on board.

The hijackers had intended to fly the plane to Washington, D.C. but when the passengers on board, after learning from family members via airphone of the earlier attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon, revolted and fought for control of the plane, causing it to crash.

It was the only one of the four aircraft hijacked that day that never reached its intended target – believed to be either the White House or the U.S. Capitol building. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attack.

The Flight 93 National Memorial is built around the crash site and protects the area of impact, known as the ‘Sacred Ground’, which remains accessible only to family members of the passengers and crew.