9/11 memorial: George W. Bush highlights bravery of Americans in 'the face of death'

Shaksville: Former President George W. Bush told people at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania that Americans learned much about themselves on 11 September. “We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death," Bush said Saturday at a ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the attacks. Bush, who was president during the attacks, commended the courage of the Flight 93 passengers and crew who are believed to have foiled an attack on the US Capitol by leading the plane to crash in rural Pennsylvania. “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," Bush said. “The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people.” He encouraged Americans to put aside their political differences in the spirit of what he saw after 9/11. “So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment,” Bush said. “On America’s day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab their neighbour’s hand and rally to the cause of one another." Vice President Kamala Harris began her remarks at the Flight 93 memorial with words for those who lost loved ones on 11 Septemeber. “So many in our nation — too many in our nation — have deeply felt the passage of time these past 20 years," she said. “Please know your nation sees you and we stand with you and we support you.” The victims and heroes of Flight 93 were being commemorated at a ceremony at the site where the plane crashed in a field on 11 September, 2001. President Joe Biden was making an appearance, and Vice President Kamala Harris, former President George W. Bush and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf were also speaking. Wolf said the passengers and crew of Flight 93, whose actions are believed to have led the hijackers to abandon their mission of targeting the U.S. Capitol, offered a lasting lesson of courage and hope. “This story and this place remind us each day what it means to be an American,” said Wolf, a Democrat. “In times of strife, we Americans, we come together. We comfort each other. We protect each other and we stand up for each other. This memorial is a powerful reminder of what we have lost. But it’s also a powerful reminder of the strength of the American spirit.” Larry Catuzzi, father of Flight 93 passenger Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, said in an interview that he talks to her every day. “I say something that kind of reminds me of her, and I’ll talk to her. Or something good happens to me and i thank her for her being with me,” said Catuzzi, whose 38-year-old daughter was pregnant when she perished. The family started a foundation in her name that has distributed college scholarships to more than 100 girls, funded three neonatal units and built a park in Houston memorializing the victims of Flight 93.