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President Joe Biden is set to visit all of the 9/11 attack sites to commemorate the 20th year since the hijacked planes claimed the lives of thousands of Americans.
“It’s so hard. Whether it’s the first year or the 20th, children have grown up without parents and parents have suffered without children,” Biden said in a video released Friday (September 10) ahead of the anniversary of the attacks.
"To me, that's the central lesson of September 11, is that at our most vulnerable, in the push and pull that makes us human, and the battle for the soul of America, unity is our greatest strength," he said. "Unity doesn't mean we have to believe the same thing. We must have a fundamental respect and faith in each other, and in this nation."
Biden is not expected to speak at any of the sites or memorial services.
New York City
The president began his day in NYC alongside former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton at the memorial honoring the victims who died in the World Trade Center.
Bruce Springsteen performed “I Will See You In My Dreams” during the reading of the names following the moment of silence held at 9:03 a.m. when the second plane struck the South Tower.
Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Biden left NYC to head to Shanksville, Pennsylvania where United Flight 93 crashed into a field after passengers retook control of the plane, averting another target from being hit.
Former President George W. Bush, who helmed the White House at the time of the attacks, is set to deliver a speech at the Pennsylvania site. Vice President Kamala Harris is also in attendance at the site and will be giving remarks during the memorial service as a keynote speaker.
The Pentagon
Biden will end the day back in the nation’s capital to honor the 184 victims who died at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke at a ceremony held at the Pentagon earlier in the day, offering comfort to the victims’ families.