Posted on 09/11/2020 1:25:11 PM PDT by lightman
SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa.—Joe Biden visited the Flight 93 National Memorial on Friday, talking briefly with other visitors but spending most of his time interacting with families of people who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
He arrived around 1 p.m., several hours after President Donald Trump took part in a private ceremony with loved ones of passengers and crew members who died while thwarting hijackers that hoped to crash the plane into the U.S. Capitol.
Biden was accompanied by his wife, Jill, with both wearing face masks. Speaking to one of the families, the Democratic candidate for president mentioned his own losses.
“It never goes away … it’s always part your heart,” Biden said near the wall memorializing the 40 who died.
He laid a white wreath at the memorial of First Officer LeRoy Homer. He later posed for pictures with some memorial visitors.
At one point he joked, “I’m known as Jill’s husband.”
According to his campaign, he spoke to the families of Homer, Loraine Bay and Louis Nacke.
Biden’s campaign had announced the Scranton native would visit the memorial about 125 miles west of Harrisburg on Friday, although it didn’t say when. Biden had visited the memorial in New York City earlier Friday.
The time of Trump’s visit was known in advance, and supporters had begun lining up early Friday morning outside the park, which was closed during the ceremony he attended.
In contrast to the president’s visit, there were no Biden supporters or obvious political reaction, aside from a man who called out, “Hey Joe, I’m in your team.” The man did so from a good distance away as the Bidens and several others stood at the rock marking the spot where Flight 93 crashed.
Biden had earlier put out an official statement, saying in part, “Nineteen years ago, our nation was tested by an unspeakable act of cowardice and hate. Nearly 3,000 lives were cut short on that God-awful September day: a once-unthinkable toll which tore open the hearts of sons and daughters, parents, siblings, grandchildren and grandparents, neighbors and friends — loved ones faced with the harrowing, hollowing news that the dearest thing in their life had been suddenly taken away.”
Biden recounted acts of bravery and sacrifice which followed, and tied the reaction to 9/11 to challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Now, as then, our heroes are ordinary people doing extraordinary things: nurses and doctors; delivery drivers and grocery clerks; public transit workers and educators; regular Americans thrust into courageous acts of sacrifice and service. Now, as then, we owe it to them to come together as a nation — so that Americans can once again do what we did so bravely nineteen years ago: turn from tragedy to purpose, rebuild our lives, and begin, in time, to heal,” he said.
At the Flight 93 Memorial, Biden marveled at the bravery of the passengers who rose up to prevent the terrorists from reaching Washington.
“When you think about what happened, it’s one thing to react when you’re in a situation where you’re confronted with something and you have to act immediately," Biden said. "It’s another thing to consciously know what you’re about to do is likely to cost you your life. That is an incredible, incredible thing.”
Moments later, he said, “One of the marks of being an American is understanding there are some things that are bigger and more important than yourself.”
No. Men choosing to follow a false religion were persuaded to kill themselves and murder others. It wasn't cowardly, no more than the Kamikazes were cowardly. It was an act of pure evil, these men chose evil, and are now awaiting eternal judgement in torment.
Penn Live is owned by Advance Local.
Nuff said.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.