Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, on Monday recalled the attack on New York City’s World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, as one of the most solemn days in the nation’s memory.
“It is a time for mourning for all the innocent lives that were lost and the families who will never be the same,” said Peltola, who joined President Joe Biden in ceremonies at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage for a remembrance ceremony. It is a time of remembrance and for honoring firefighters, police officers, emergency medical services teams, and passengers who rushed into danger to save others, she said.
But most importantly, Peltola added, “I believe it should be a time of hope, because alongside the darkest memories of today, I also remember what happened afterwards – how we all came together to rebuild and to heal.”
“It is that spirit of sacrifice and patriotism that I see in my two sons who currently serve in our Coast Guard, and in every memory of this audience today,” she said.
Biden’s stop in Anchorage came on the way back from Asia, following a trip to the Group of 20 summit in India and another stop in Vietnam. The president said these trips are an essential part of ensuring that the United States “is flanked by the broadest array of allies and partners who will stand with us and deter any threat to our security. To build a world that is safer for all of our children, something that today of all days, we’re reminded of is not a given.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general 11th Airborne Division and Deputy Commander U.S. Alaska Command, also spoke at the ceremony.
Following the ceremony, Peltola accompanied the president on Air Force One as he returned to Washington D.C.
During the flight Peltola was expected to discuss with Biden his trip to Asia and Alaska’s role in Pacific Rim strategy and energy markets.
