Key facts
- President Donald Trump marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks at the Pentagon.
- Trump vowed the US would 'never, ever forget' the attacks.
- Trump stated the US 'fight[s] hard. We fight to win.'
- Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, the 'Man in the Red Bandana'.
- The U.S. Coast Guard will commission a new Fast Response Cutter in memory of FDNY firefighter Jeffrey Palazzo.
- Nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on Flight 93.
President Donald Trump marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks at the Pentagon on Friday, vowing that the United States would "never, ever forget" and would "fight to win." Trump, who skipped commemorations in New York, emphasized the nation's resolve in the face of terrorism.
During the ceremony, President Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader remembered as the "Man in the Red Bandana" for his actions during the attacks. Crowther's mother, Alison, and sister, Paige, accepted the medal on his behalf. President Trump also announced that the U.S. Coast Guard will commission a new Fast Response Cutter in memory of FDNY firefighter and Coast Guard reservist Jeffrey Palazzo, one of the 343 firefighters killed at the World Trade Center.
Trump highlighted the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on Flight 93, stating that "in just over 100 minutes, 175,000 tons of steel and concrete were reduced to ruin and 3,000 lives were extinguished." He also referenced a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the wreckage of the South Tower, which has traveled over 10,500 miles as part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's Steel Across America tour.