00:00Ladies and gentlemen, the Secretary of War, the Honorable Pete Hegseff.
00:1324 years ago, Islamist terrorists massacred nearly 3,000 innocent American lives
00:20in New York City, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and right here at the Pentagon.
00:24The building you see behind me, the War Department, was targeted in an act of savage evil.
00:33And today, on these hallowed grounds, we gather to honor those victims and heroes
00:38with the resolve to never forget.
00:41We gather to pay tribute to the first responders who charged into the flames and up the stairs,
00:47to those trapped on planes fighting their final fight,
00:51and to the families whose lives were forever altered.
00:55By that fateful day.
00:57Like everyone in this audience, I remember exactly where I was when that first tower was struck.
01:05A college junior with a fresh set of Army fatigues in my dorm room closet,
01:12having just joined Army ROTC.
01:15Like too many Americans, I was naive to the threats brewing abroad and infiltrating our shores.
01:21But from that day forward, I felt an unshakable call to action.
01:27A duty to defend our sacred homeland with everything I had.
01:33Like all of you, 9-11 was the ultimate validator to serve.
01:39But I was not alone.
01:42An entire generation of warriors stepped forward,
01:44willing to pay the ultimate price to exact retribution and secure our country.
01:51Forged in the crucibles of Afghanistan and Iraq,
01:54we stood watch in distant lands on dangerous missions,
01:58often in retrospect, nebulous missions.
02:02All to secure our people, and so we could live in peace.
02:08War is an enduring aspect of the human condition,
02:11a tool that, when wielded wisely,
02:14ruthlessly punishes enemies' intent
02:17on terrorizing or subjugating our nation.
02:20War must not become a mere tool for global social work,
02:26eager to risk American blood and treasure for utopian fever dreams.
02:32We should hit hard, wreak vengeance, and return home.
02:38For two decades, our warriors fought with valor every day,
02:44far from home,
02:45even though sometimes their leaders gave them nation-building missions
02:50and half-baked exits.
02:52Thankfully, today,
02:53we have an American military that President Trump has now rebuilt twice.
03:00Yet, despite the weight of history,
03:03the Department of War will always honor the service of our warriors
03:07and all they left behind,
03:09never straying from the warrior ethos.
03:11They, and those on 9-11,
03:14embodied and deserve.
03:17We best honor their memory and the memory of 9-11
03:20by learning the correct lessons of that day
03:23and the decades of courage that followed.
03:26Full hearts, clear eyes.
03:30To every member of our War Department, past and present,
03:34you are the best, the real elite,
03:37the real 1% of this nation.
03:42Standing here today,
03:43we honor those 184
03:45rings of the bell,
03:48souls lost at the Pentagon and on Flight 77.
03:52Even as first responders were grossly outnumbered by the wounded,
03:56many ran toward the chaos,
03:58cared for the injured,
04:00and comforted the dying.
04:02It was bedlam.
04:03But in that moment, American heroism was laid bare.
04:08That purpose, that spirit lives on in uniform today.
04:13Despite such tragedies,
04:16our republic endured.
04:18It endured that day.
04:19It endured on Flight 93,
04:21charging that cockpit and at the Pentagon.
04:26It endured over those Islamists.
04:28It endured over two decades of war,
04:31and it endured stronger,
04:34wiser,
04:35and tougher,
04:36forged by the blood and courage of patriots.
04:40Our job now is to ensure that future generations
04:44inherit a strong and vigilant America.
04:479-11 is vivid for me and all of you,
04:50but it will soon live only in the history books for our youngest.
04:54We must teach our children that the price of freedom we love is eternal vigilance.
05:01Instill in them the importance of upholding America's Constitution,
05:06holding tight to our freedom and our faith,
05:09and relentlessly pursuing our enemies.
05:14Prepare them to defend this nation by the ballot,
05:16the wallet,
05:17and when necessary,
05:18the cloth of our country,
05:20because the world remains a viper's nest.
05:24It requires us.
05:26As I speak,
05:28hostile elements plot to curb our power and slaughter our people,
05:31in our homeland,
05:32in our hemisphere,
05:33and halfway around the globe.
05:35Not everyone needs to wear a uniform,
05:37but some of us do.
05:40That is our profession
05:41and our promise to this nation.
05:45In closing,
05:47a reading from Scripture,
05:48Romans 5, verses 3-4.
05:52We rejoice in our sufferings,
05:55knowing that suffering
05:56produces endurance,
05:59endurance produces character,
06:01and character produces hope.
06:05On this day,
06:0624 years ago,
06:08we suffered.
06:09In the years since,
06:11we have endured.
06:12Our service and sacrifice
06:14have forged our character,
06:16and today we stand in hope
06:17for the future of our great nation.
06:21The young soldiers
06:22who take the oath
06:23give me hope.
06:26The young cops
06:27who wear the badge
06:28give me hope.
06:30The young firefighters
06:32who answer the call
06:33give me hope.
06:36The young agents
06:37who patrol our border
06:38give me hope.
06:41The life,
06:43example,
06:44and even death
06:45of Christ follower
06:47and American patriot
06:48Charlie Kirk
06:49give me hope.
06:54Sheer courage,
06:55no matter the arena.
06:57Charlie,
06:59we love you.
07:00We know that you have heard
07:02the Lord's words.
07:03Well done,
07:05good and faithful servant.
07:08Full heart,
07:11clear eyes.
07:13Like those on 9-11,
07:16he will never be forgotten.
07:17So I thank God
07:20for all of you
07:21and all of our fighters
07:24from that day
07:25to today and beyond.
07:27May God bless our warriors
07:29as they ruthlessly
07:30seek our enemies
07:32on behalf
07:33of the fellow citizens
07:34they love.
07:35We owe you
07:36and all of those
07:37who witnessed 9-11
07:39nothing less.
07:42It is now my great honor
07:44to introduce to you
07:47our Commander-in-Chief
07:49President Donald J. Trump.
07:52Mr. President.
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