STONYCREEK, Pa. — What happened in the skies above the sprawling fields here 20 years ago -- and afterward, as the country recovered from one of its darkest days — was America at its core, former President George W. Bush said Saturday: Strangers of different backgrounds lifting each other up in “the solidarity of grief and grace.”
In light of recent events, Mr. Bush said, the United States could learn a thing or two from the 40 passengers and crew members of United Airlines Flight 93 who are buried here, from the men and women who volunteered to serve in the armed forces, and from the first responders and others who came to the aid of their wounded country in the days after 9/11.
Those days of unity seem distant, Mr. Bush told family members of the Flight 93 victims at a morning ceremony at the national monument built in their honor. He said there’s now a “malign” force in American discourse, bred by the current state of national politics, that turns every disagreement into an argument and every argument into a clash of cultures.
“I come without an explanation or solutions. I can only tell you what I've seen," Mr. Bush said. "On America's day of grief, I saw millions instinctively grab for a neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know.”
The idea of the United States of America -- embodied by the passengers and crew members of Flight 93 who joined to fight back against hijackers and thwart another catastrophic attack -- was honored, remembered and longed for on Saturday.
It was evident in the mile-long line of vehicles waiting to get into the memorial to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the attacks. It was evident in the ringing of bells that cut through the cold morning air, meant to recognize all 40 of the men and women whose final resting place was a few hundred feet away in the field.
And it felt of gratitude and appreciation for those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others.
“Twenty years ago, terrorists chose a random group of Americans on a routine flight to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror,” Mr. Bush said. “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.”
Flight 93 Memorial Superintendent Stephen Clark echoed the former president, telling the crowd, “As they boarded their aircraft in Newark 20 years ago today, these 40 individuals never imagined the challenge they were about to face. In a moment’s time, their journey to San Francisco became a harrowing test of their strength and courage. Passengers and crew members of Flight 93 met this test as heroes and literally changed the course of history.”
Stopping to pay his respects to those heroes between visits to New York City and the Pentagon, President Joe Biden made an appearance later in the afternoon, slowly strolling by the Wall of Names -- large marble panels with the inscribed names of the 40 -- and out into the field to lay a wreath at the sacred ground where the plane crashed.
With first lady Jill Biden at his side, Mr. Biden took a quaint walk through Memorial Plaza, at one point putting his arm around Gordon Felt, whose brother, Edward, died on Flight 93.
But Saturday was as much about the future as it was the past.
In a speech that centered on the future of America and its adherence to the ideals the 40 passengers and crew members fought for, Vice President Kamala Harris said that in the face of uncertainty, “it will take all of us going forth to work together” as a nation to face challenges.
“If we do the hard work of working together as Americans, if we remain united in purpose, we will be prepared for whatever comes next,” Ms. Harris said. “The 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93 — as we all know — didn’t know each other. ... They were different people from different places.”
“They were on that particular flight for different reasons. But they did not focus on what may separate us. No. They focused on what we all share -- the humanity we all share."
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf praised the “extraordinary acts of bravery and compassion committed by ordinary people” 20 years ago and said the story of Flight 93 should serve as a reminder of what it means to be an American.
“In times of strife, we Americans come together. We comfort each other. We protect each other. And we stand up for each other,” Mr. Wolf said, adding that on the darkest day, the 40 “brought light in that darkness.”
Mr. Bush, who was president on Sept. 11, 2001, said that after the attacks here and in New York City and outside of Washington, D.C., when nativism could have stirred violence against people perceived as outsiders, Americans welcomed refugees.
At a time when bigotry could have “flowed freely,” Americans rejected prejudice and embraced people of the Muslim faith, he said. That’s the country he knows, he said — the “truest version of ourselves.”
The actions of an enemy revealed "the spirit of the people," Mr. Bush said, an assurance that Americans "possess a core of strength that survives the worst that life could bring."
“Here the intended target became the instruments of rescue,” Mr. Bush said of the Flight 93 passengers and crew, “and many who are now alive owe a vast unconscious debt to the defiance displayed in the skies above this field."
A debt is owed to first responders, too, the dignitaries said. After visiting the memorial, Mr. Biden dropped in on the nearby Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department, greeted by some cheers as he stepped out of his motorcade. The president met with people outside the firehouse, taking a selfie with a woman and shaking hands with a young boy.
Speaking to reporters there, Mr. Biden praised the Flight 93 passengers.
“It’s one thing to say, 'I know I should step up.' It’s another thing to do it," Mr. Biden said. "That’s genuine heroism.”
Mr. Biden praised Mr. Bush's speech and segued into a discussion on national unity, mentioning that he took photos with boys wearing Donald Trump hats at the firehouse.
Uniting in spite of differences was a theme amplified by his vice president in her remarks about those aboard Flight 93.
"After today, it is my hope and prayer that we continue to honor their courage, their conviction, with our own -- that we honor their unity by strengthening our common bonds, by strengthening our global partnerships, and by always living out our highest ideals," Ms. Harris said.
"This work will not be easy; it never has been. And it will take all of us believing in who we are as a nation. And it will take all of us going forth to work together."
Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com. Twitter: @julianrouth
First Published: September 11, 2021, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: September 12, 2021, 3:59 a.m.