Trump, Mattis commemorate Sept. 11 attacks at Pentagon ceremony
By Tara Copp, AP
From right to left: President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., render honors during the 9/11 observance ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington on Sept. 11, 2017. (DOD photo by Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith/DoD)
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump commemorated the Sept. 11 attacks Monday at the Pentagon vowing that the military would not quit the fight started 16 years ago today.
Trump was joined by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford at the Pentagon ceremony. More than 300 family members of the 59 passengers and crew on American Flight 77 and the 125 Pentagon personnel killed on the ground also came to the memorial to commemorate the somber anniversary.
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Members of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) flag detail listen to a speaker during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony on the ship's floating accommodation facility on Sept. 11, 2017, at Newport News, Va. (MC2 Jessica Gomez/Navy)
Air Force honor guardsmen render a salute during the national anthem sung by Airman 1st Class Heather Bradley, 355th Security Forces Squadron member, during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 11, 2017. (Airman 1st Class Giovanni Sims/Air Force)
Master Sgt. Ana Silva, 96th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and her 10-year-old daughter, Noemi, stand vigil by the base flag pole flanking 9/11 historical relics Sept. 11, 2017, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Airmen and civilians braved the wind and rain of Hurricane Irma taking turns standing watch during the 24-hour vigil. (Samuel King Jr./Air Force)
U.S. Air Force General Lori Robinson the Commander the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Reynold Hoover, the USNORTHCOM Deputy Commander honor a moment of silence for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks during a ceremony in front of the headquarters building on Peterson AFB, Colo., Sept. 11, 2017. (DoD photo by N&NC Public Affairs)
Chief Missile Technician (sel.) Daniel Suderow, assigned to Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFPAC), talks during a 9/11-remembrance ceremony in front of the Trident Training Facility on Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on Sept. 11, 2017, in Silverdale, Wash. (MC2 Jacob G. Sisco/Navy)
President Donald Trump greeting family and survivors at the 9-11 Memorial, Pentagon, Sept. 11, 2017. (Daniel Torok/DoD)
U.S. and Canadian military and civilians members of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command salute their respective flags during the singing of both the American and Canadian National Anthems at the beginning of the commands Sept. 11, 2001 memorial ceremony on Peterson AFB, Colo., Sept. 11, 2017. (DoD photo by N&NC Public Affairs)
Mile High Honor Guard members form a firing detail as they show respect to those who gave their lives on 9/11, Sept. 11, 2017, on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. (Airman 1st Class Holden S. Faul/Air Force)
In all, almost 3,000 Americans were killed on Sept. 11 in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. Trump and first lady Melania Trump also held a moment of silence at the White House to commemorate the planes crashing into the World Trade Center prior to the attending the Pentagon ceremony.
Trump said that in the years since Sept. 11, more than 5 million Americans have joined the military to contribute to the war against terrorism, and “nearly 7,000 service members have given their lives fighting terrorists around the globe.”
Despite a drawdown of forces in Iraq in 2011 and in Afghanistan in 2014, the return of insurgent forces and terrorists in both countries, and now Syria as well, has required the U.S. to send thousands of forces back. The Pentagon is now considering an additional buildup of troops to Afghanistan, too, to stop the Taliban from making additional gains there.
“While we never asked for this fight we are steadfastly committed to see this through,” Mattis said. “We will continue to do so using all means necessary and as long as necessary.”
About Tara Copp, AP
Tara Copp is a Pentagon correspondent for the Associated Press. She was previously Pentagon bureau chief for Sightline Media Group.
