[somber music] Hello, everyone.

On this very special day of remembrance I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some reflections with you 20 years after September 11th.

It's a milestone to be sure.

That as I'm sure is the case for many of you no amount of time can ever fade my memories of that day.

What I remember most about 9/11 is stepping off the helicopter at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and being met by the brutal sound of silence.

Emergency personnel searched the fields.

Ambulances were at the ready.

Rescue workers wanted someone to save.

But you see, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 were 40 heroes strong.

They were in fact the first first responders on the scene.

They had already run toward the danger.

They had already taken up the battle.

They were already in the arms of God.

Above a Pennsylvania field, in the Pentagon stone, and the once towering World Trade Center we lost nearly 3000 souls from more than 80 nations.

We lost them too terribly and much too soon.

And yet despite the weight of pain and anguish on our shoulders, we pulled together.

Do you remember, some of you brought foiled covered plates of food to firefighters.

Others held candlelight vigils in cities, large and small.

Stores ran out of flags.

Schools in communities raised money for grieving families.

On the steps of the Capitol members of Congress sang "God Bless America."

At our country's worst moment we survived on a uniquely American diet of kindness, generosity, and compassion.

You may not find those words in any national security plan, but I can assure you those concepts are just as critical to our national resilience as any component of our national defense.

I know the country seems a bit fractured at the moment and that the daily news headlines seem too much to bear.

Some of you have actually told me you're feeling overwhelmed by the challenges we face and uncertain about our ability to meet them.

But I would ask you to remember our shared values, our shared responsibility to one another in the country we all cherish.

That's been the hallmark of the American story writ large for the last 20 years, for the last 245 years.

Even in these last 20 months, doctors and nurses, teachers, grocery clerks, truck drivers, people everywhere have pulled together to keep our economy moving, our students learning, and all of us healthy and safe.

We are a nation of millions of many colors and cultures, of many religions and political beliefs.

But do you remember, we're also a nation of Rosie the Riveters, of Live Aid concerts and charity telethons, community bake sales and clothing drives.

We are the hearts and bill folds that open daily for the vulnerable among us, our elderly neighbors, the hungry, the homeless, victims of hurricanes and earthquakes.

That's who we are.

That's in America's DNA.

We know that our humanity toward one another is our saving grace.

We know this, not because we're always good to each other in the past, or because we've always been a truly United States.

We know it because at times we've strayed from that humanity, and empathy, and that unity.

We've learned from the consequences of our mistakes that America is not perfect.

So we try harder every day and strive to be a more perfect Union.

The late Senator John McCain was a dear and wonderful friend of mine for many decades.

"Do not despair of our present difficulties," he said in his farewell message, "but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable."

John took nothing for granted.

He fought every day of his life for the greater good for the country he loved, for the cause he believed in most, service above self.

I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities I was given to serve my country from soldier to secretary.

I've seen America on its worst days and it's best.

I've seen people give all they had to give and I'll never forget it.

I'll never forget the silence on a Pennsylvania field one September morning, or the sacrifice of 40 heroes strong.

I'll never forget all those we lost 20 years ago, too terribly and too soon.

May we keep their memories close, as well as each other.

God bless you.

And may God continue to bless America.