US President during 9/11, George Bush recalls 'sudden splendour' of Americans' bravery

Marking the 20th anniversary of the deadly 9/11 attacks on Saturday, Former US President George W Bush told people at the National Memorial in Pennsylvania that Americans learned much about themselves on this day in 2001. 

"We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendour in the face of death," Bush at a ceremony to pay tributes to the victims of the terror attacks.

Bush, who was president during the attacks, commended the courage of the Flight 93 passengers and crew who foiled an attack on the US Capitol by leading the plane to crash in rural Pennsylvania.

"The 33 passengers and 7 crew members of Flight 93 could have been any group of citizens selected by fate. In a sense, they stood in for us all. The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people," Bush said

He encouraged Americans to put aside their political differences in the spirit of what he saw after 9/11. 

"So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment. On America's day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab their neighbour's hand and rally to the cause of one another," he said.

US Presidents Remember Lost Souls Of 9/11 Attacks

Incumbent US President, Joe Biden also paid tributes to the victims of the 9/11 attacks at Ground Zero, Lower Manhattan, New York City. He was accompanied by former President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton along with former ladies, Michelle Obama and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The 9/11 anniversary commemoration began with a tolling bell and a moment of silence, exactly 20 years after the start of the deadliest terror attack on US soil. Remembering the fallen, President Joe Biden, who is the fourth president to console the nation on the anniversary of that dark day, appealed to the nation to reclaim the spirit of cooperation that sprung up in the days following the 9/11 terror attacks as he commemorated those who died 20 years ago. 

Vice President Kamala Harris began her remarks at the Flight 93 memorial with words for those who lost loved ones on September 11.

"So many in our nation -- too many in our nation -- have deeply felt the passage of time these past 20 years," she said. "Please know your nation sees you and we stand with you and we support you. 

(With inputs from agency)