“Never forget. Never forget. We never forget.” President Biden commemorates 9/11 with historic visit to JBER

President Joe Biden made his first visit to Alaska as Commander in Chief on Monday, stopping at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and giving remarks at a 9/11 memorial.

“I join you on this solemn day to renew our sacred vow, to never forget. Never forget. We never forget. Each of us never forget those precious lives stolen.”

The visit was part of a stopover from his recent trip to the G-20 summit in India and trade talks in Hanoi, Vietnam. President Biden has been widely criticized for being the first President to commemorate 9/11 outside of Washington DC.

“Terrorists stole 2,977 souls that day,” he told the audience of mostly soldiers and airmen. “But those terrorists could not touch what no force, no enemy, no day ever could, and that is the soul of America.”

With the impressive Chugach Mountains in the background and a massive American flag alongside him, the President spoke inside one of the hangars at JBER, giving remarks to over 1,000 service members from different branches of service stationed in Alaska.

“It shouldn’t take a national tragedy to remind us of the power of national unity” President Biden said.

He then recalled that in the aftermath of the devastating attacks, America came together in pride, with American flags being sold out everywhere while friends, families, and neighbors asked how to help one another, then called for national unity in this current time of polarization, telling the audience:

“It’s more important than ever that we come together around the principle of American democracy, regardless of our political background. We must not succumb to the poisonous politics of difference and division.”

The President spoke for nearly 20 minutes, and avoided any Alaska-specific policies during his speech, including the recently-cancelled ANWR leases, instead choosing to focus on the importance of remembering the 9/11 attacks and ongoing global threats to America’s democracy.

“We never bow. We never bend. We never yield. Our longest war is over, but our commitment to preventing another attack on the United States, our people, and our allies will never rest.”

Before he took the podium, President Biden was greeted by the President of the Native Village of Eklutna, Aaron Leggett, who gave a land acknowledgment, Alaska Representative Mary Peltola, and Governor Mike Dunleavy, who each addressed the service members.

“It’s appropriate that we are here today at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, home to thousands of servicemen and women, and where many have deployed to the Middle East and Southeast Asia to fight the war on terror,” said Governor Dunleavy, who hails from Scranton, Pennsylvania, something the President noted the men have in common.

He also impressed upon President Biden and the Congress Alaska’s strategic location and vital role the state plays in the country’s national security.

“Where we stand today in Anchorage, we are more than 3,000 miles away from the World Trade Center in New York. Yet parts of Alaska are just 2.4 miles away from one of our nearest neighbors, Russia. Service men and women here at JBER intercept Russian fighters on a regular basis. Alaska is also within reach of Korean missiles, and Chinese warships ply the waters just off our coast.”

Also in attendance at the ceremony were Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Climate Envoy John Kerry, who have been traveling with the president during this most recent trip to Asia.

Noticeably absent were Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski. According to a source, Senator Sullivan, a United States Marine Corps reservist, is currently participating in reserve duties in the lower 48, while Senator Murkowski was back in Washington DC.

President Biden is only the 11th president to visit the Last Frontier where the president made a public appearance, not refueling stops or trips where the president may have briefly left his plane to address military personnel.

Upon concluding his remarks, President Biden took time to shake hands and take selfies with the troops, then spoke to local politicians before heading back onto Air Force One and returning to his duties in Washington DC.