By Andrea Shalal
On the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will pay tribute to the nearly 3,000 lives lost by visiting the three sites where hijacked planes crashed in 2001.
Biden and Harris will begin their day at the New York City site of the World Trade Center, where the twin towers were brought down by planes. Following this, they will travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers on United Flight 93 bravely thwarted the hijackers, causing the plane to crash in a field. Finally, they will visit the Pentagon memorial in Washington, D.C.
No public remarks are scheduled for the visits, as relatives will instead read the names of those who perished in the attacks. Former President Donald Trump and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are also expected to attend the New York City ceremony.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre expressed the administration's commitment to preventing future attacks, stating, "We can only imagine the heartbreak and the pain that the 9/11 families and survivors have felt every day for the past 23 years, and we will always remember and honor those who were taken from us too soon."
President Biden issued a proclamation honoring the victims of the attacks and the service members who volunteered for military duty in the aftermath. He praised the sacrifices of the "9/11 Generation" who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other conflict zones, including the successful mission to eliminate Osama bin Laden and his deputy.
In a separate event, U.S. congressional leaders awarded the congressional gold medal posthumously to 13 service members who lost their lives in the suicide bombing at Kabul's airport during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 26, 2021.
As we commemorate the 9/11 anniversary and honor the memory of those we lost, let us also reflect on the sacrifices made by our military personnel and remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent future tragedies.