周六，前总统乔治·w·布什在宾夕法尼亚州尚克斯维尔的9·11纪念活动上发表讲话，纪念袭击20周年。
这座纪念碑是为了纪念在911袭击中被劫持的四架商用飞机之一——联合航空93号航班的坠毁。乘客与劫机者搏斗并战胜劫机者后，飞机坠毁在田野里。机上所有人，包括40名机组人员和乘客，全部遇难。
当时在任的布什反思了这些乘客的勇敢，以及袭击后几天发生的团结和英雄主义，同时警告说，国内外的恐怖主义威胁依然存在。
除他之外，还有前第一夫人劳拉·布什、副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯、前副总统迪克·切尼、宾夕法尼亚州州长汤姆·沃尔夫、美国内政部长黛比·哈兰德等。
布什演讲的文字记录如下。为清晰起见，对其进行了编辑:
谢谢大家。谢谢您们。劳拉和我很荣幸能和你们在一起，副总统女士，副总统切尼，州长沃尔夫，国务卿哈兰德，以及尊贵的客人们。
二十年前，我们都发现，以不同的方式，在不同的地方，但都在同一时刻，我们的生活将永远改变。
这个世界充满了大屠杀和警笛声，然后安静下来，消失的声音再也听不到了。这些生命对我们的国家来说仍然是宝贵的，对你们许多人来说也是无限宝贵的。今天，我们记住你的损失，我们分担你的悲伤，我们向你深爱已久的人们致敬。
对于那些太年轻而无法回忆起那个晴朗的九月天的人来说，很难描述我们经历的各种感觉。毁灭的规模令人恐惧，迎接毁灭的勇敢和善良令人敬畏。人们对邪恶的胆大妄为感到震惊，并对反对邪恶的英雄主义和正派表示感谢。
在第一反应者的牺牲和陌生人的互助中，在悲痛和恩典的声援中，敌人的行动揭示了人民的精神。我们为我们受伤的国家感到骄傲。
在这些记忆中，93号航班的乘客和机组人员一定永远有一个光荣的地方。在这里，预定的目标变成了救援的工具，许多现在活着的人欠下了巨大的、无意识的债务，这要归功于这片土地上空所展现的蔑视。
前总统。乔治·w·布什在9·11袭击20周年之际在宾夕法尼亚州尚克斯维尔发表讲话:“今天，我们缅怀你们的损失，分担你们的悲痛，向你们深爱已久的男男女女致敬。”https://t.co/cByYTLzogx#永远不要忘记pic.twitter.com/ty1M35hhWz
—美国广播公司新闻(@美国广播公司)2021年9月11日
把那些可怕事件的经历理想化是错误的。许多人最初只能看到死亡的残酷随机性。许多人能感受到的只是不劳而获的痛苦。许多人只能听到上帝可怕的沉默。有许多人仍在与内心深处孤独的痛苦作斗争。
在那些决定性的时刻，我们也学到了其他的教训。我们看到美国人很脆弱，但并不脆弱。他们拥有一种核心的力量，能够经受住生活带来的最糟糕的情况。我们了解到，勇敢比我们想象的更普遍，在死亡面前突然变得光彩夺目。我们真切地感受到，与亲人在一起的每一个小时都是一份短暂而神圣的礼物。我们发现即使是最长的日子也会结束。
我们很多人都试图从精神上理解这些事件。对于决定我们生活方向的天意和人类意志的混合，没有简单的解释。但是舒适可以来自不同种类的知识。在黑暗中徘徊之后，许多人发现他们实际上是在一步一步地走向恩典。
作为一个国家，我们的调整是深刻的。许多美国人难以理解为什么敌人会如此狂热地憎恨我们。融入我们生活的安全措施既是安慰的来源，也提醒着我们的脆弱。我们已经看到越来越多的证据表明，我们国家面临的危险不仅可能跨越国界，还可能来自内部聚集的暴力。
国外的暴力极端分子和国内的暴力极端分子之间几乎没有文化重叠。但是，由于他们蔑视多元化，由于他们无视人的生命，由于他们决心玷污国家象征，他们是同样邪恶精神的孩子，我们继续有责任与他们对抗。
911事件后，数百万勇敢的美国人挺身而出，自愿加入武装部队。过去20年来，为从源头上消除危险而采取的军事措施引发了争论。但有一点是肯定的:我们应该向所有参加过我们国家最近战斗的人保证。
让我直接对老兵和穿制服的人说。你在使命召唤中追求的事业是美国所能提供的最高尚的东西。你保护了你的同胞免受危险。你们捍卫了自己国家的信仰，促进了被压迫者的权利。在黑暗的地方，你是希望和仁慈的化身。你是世界上永远的力量。随后发生的一切都不会玷污你的荣誉或降低你的成就。我们的国家永远感激你和光荣的死者。
在911袭击后的几周和几个月里，我很自豪地领导着一个令人惊叹的、坚韧不拔的团结的人民。谈到美国人民的团结，那些日子似乎离我们自己的日子很遥远。邪恶的力量似乎在我们的共同生活中起作用，它把每一个分歧变成了争论，把每一个争论变成了文化的冲突。我们的政治已经变成了对愤怒、恐惧和怨恨的赤裸裸的诉求。这让我们担心我们的国家和未来。我来的时候没有解释也没有解决办法。我只能告诉你我所看到的。
在美国充满考验和悲伤的一天，我看到数百万人本能地抓住邻居的手，团结在彼此的事业上。这就是我所知道的美国。在宗教偏执可能自由流动的时候，我看到美国人拒绝偏见，拥抱穆斯林信仰的人。那是我认识的国家。当本土主义可能激起对被视为局外人的人的仇恨和暴力时，我看到美国人重申了他们对移民和难民的欢迎。那是我认识的国家。当一些人认为正在崛起的一代是个人主义和颓废的时候，我看到年轻人拥抱服务的道德，并上升到无私的行动。那是我认识的国家。
这不仅仅是怀旧，更是最真实的自己。这就是我们曾经的样子，也是我们可以再次成为的样子。20年前，恐怖分子在一次例行飞行中随机选择了一群美国人，作为一场壮观的恐怖行动的附带损害。93号航班的33名乘客和7名机组人员可能是命运选择的任何一组公民。从某种意义上说，他们代表了我们所有人。
恐怖分子很快发现，一群随机的美国人是一群特殊的人，面临着一个不可能的情况。他们通过电话安慰他们所爱的人，彼此做好行动的准备，并击败邪恶的设计。
这些美国人勇敢、坚强、团结，震惊了恐怖分子，但不应该让我们任何人感到惊讶。这是我们所知道的国家。每当我们需要希望和灵感时，我们可以仰望天空并记住。上帝保佑。
Full transcript: Former President George W. Bush speaks at 9/11 memorial ceremony
Former President George W. Bush spoke at the Sept. 11 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks Saturday.
The memorial commemorates the crash of United Flight 93, one of four commercial airplanes hijacked in the September 11 attacks. The plane crashed into a field after passengers fought with and overcame the hijackers. All aboard, including 40 crew and passengers, perished.
Bush, who was in office at the time, reflected on the bravery of those passengers and the unity and heroism that took place in the days after the attacks, while warning about the lingering threat of terrorism, both foreign and domestic.
He was joined by former First Lady Laura Bush, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President Dick Cheney, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and others.
The transcript of Bush's speech was as follows. It has been edited for clarity:
Thank you all. Thank you very much. Laura and I are honored to be with you, Madam Vice President, Vice President Cheney, Gov. Wolf, Secretary Haaland, and distinguished guests.
Twenty years ago, we all found, in different ways, in different places, but all at the same moment, that our lives would be changed forever.
The world was loud with carnage and sirens, and then quiet with missing voices that would never be heard again. These lives remain precious to our country and infinitely precious to many of you. Today, we remember your loss, we share your sorrow and we honor the men and women that you have loved so long and so well.
For those too young to recall that clear September day, it is hard to describe the mix of feelings we experienced. There was horror at the scale of destruction and awe at the bravery and kindness that rose to meet it. There was shock at the audacity of evil and gratitude for the heroism and decency that opposed it.
In the sacrifice of first responders and the mutual aid of strangers, in the solidarity of grief and grace, the actions of an enemy revealed the spirit of the people. And we were proud of our wounded nation.
In these memories, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 must always have an honored place. Here, the intended targets became the instruments of rescue, and many who are now alive owe a vast, unconscious debt to the defiance displayed in the skies above this field.
Former Pres. George W. Bush delivers remarks in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks: "Today we remember your loss, we share your sorrow and we honor the men and women you have loved so long and so well."https://t.co/cByYTLzogx#NeverForgetpic.twitter.com/ty1M35hhWz
— ABC News (@ABC)September 11, 2021
It would be a mistake to idealize the experience of those terrible events. All that many people could initially see was the brute randomness of death. All that many could feel was unearned suffering. All that many could hear was God's terrible silence. There are many who still struggle with the lonely pain that cuts deep within.
In those fateful hours, we learned other lessons as well. We saw that Americans were vulnerable, but not fragile. That they possessed a core of strength that survives the worst that life can bring. We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death. We vividly felt how every hour with our loved ones was a temporary and holy gift. And we found that even the longest days end.
Many of us have tried to make spiritual sense of these events. There is no simple explanation for the mix of providence and human will that sets the direction of our lives. But comfort can come from a different sort of knowledge. After wandering in the dark, many have found they were actually walking step by step toward grace.
As a nation our adjustments have been profound. Many Americans struggled to understand why an enemy would hate us with such zeal. The security measures incorporated into our lives are both sources of comfort and reminders of our vulnerability. And we have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders but from violence that gathers within.
There's little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home. But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard of human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit, and it is our continuing duty to confront them.
After 9/11, millions of brave Americans stepped forward and volunteered to serve in the armed forces. The military measures taken over the last 20 years to pursue dangers at their source have led to debate. But one thing is certain: We owe an assurance to all those who have fought our nation’s most recent battles.
Let me speak directly to veterans and people in uniform. The cause you pursued at the call of duty is the noblest America has to offer. You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden. You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. You have been a force for good in the world. Nothing that has followed -- nothing -- can tarnish your honor or diminish your accomplishments. To you and the honored dead, our country is forever grateful.
In the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient united people. When it comes to the unity of American people, those days seem distant from our own. Malign force seems at work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument and every argument into a clash of cultures. So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment. That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together. I come without explanations or solutions. I can only tell you what I've seen.
On America's day of trial and grief I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know. At a time when religious bigotry might have flowed freely, I saw Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of Muslim faith. That is the nation I know. At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome to immigrants and refugees. That is the nation I know. At a time when some viewed the rising generation as individualistic and decadent, I saw young people embrace an ethic of service and rise to selfless action. That is the nation I know.
This is not mere nostalgia, it is the truest version of ourselves. It is what we have been, and what we can be again. Twenty years ago, terrorists chose a random group of Americans on a routine flight to be collateral damage in a spectacular act of terror. 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.
The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people, facing an impossible circumstance. They comforted their loved ones by phone, braced each other for action and defeated the designs of evil.
These Americans were brave, strong and united in ways that shocked the terrorists but should not surprise any of us. This is the nation we know. And whenever we need hope and inspiration, we can look to the skies and remember. God bless.
