WEBVTT

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Good morning . I'm jim Ogonowski . I

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retired from the military just a few

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short years ago I have to tell you that

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I'm honored and privileged to have the

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opportunity to address you today First

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let me tell you that my words will be

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brief but they come from the heart .

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It's hard to believe that it's been 10

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years since September 11 , 2001 . A day

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that will live in time is a defining

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moment for our generation . It's also a

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day that I lost my older brother and my

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best friend john for me that day

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started as any typical day . I was

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going to the wife of the military . My

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flight from Logan airport in boston was

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scheduled to leave just a little

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afternoon . A shuttle was picking me up

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at my home at 9:15 . My bags are packed .

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I was ready to go . I turned on the T .

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V . To watch the news , watch the

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weather . It was breaking news that an

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airplane hit the world trade center in

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new york city . My first response was

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to call my brother's wife , my sister

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in law Peg . She grew up in the shadows

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of the World Trade Center . In fact as

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a young schoolgirl on the playground ,

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she watched the World trade Center is

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being built . I told her what I had

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just heard on tv and then I was on my

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way my ride was there , I was off to

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Logan airport . We had one more stop to

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make , I made a quick run into the

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lobby to see what was going on in the

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news . By that time they said a second

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airplane hit the world trade centers

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And at the first airplane was out of

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Boston . It was a 767 . My

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knees went weak . You see my brother

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john was a pilot with American Airlines .

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He flew 7 67 .

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I called back to my sister in law

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hoping that my brother was out in the

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farm working in the fields . I called

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her , she answered the phone . I said ,

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peg it's jim . She says jim , jim it's

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john and so began the longest and

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saddest day of my life . My brother

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John was the pilot . American Airlines

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flight 11

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as people across our great Land watch

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tv watch the tragedies in new york city

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in Washington D . C . And in

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pennsylvania . I drove to school to

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pick up my two Children And my three

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nieces . The oldest that had just

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turned 16 that very weekend .

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I must say that the right to the

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schools was incredibly long .

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But telling my Children and my nieces

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that their dad was gone can never be

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described adequately . The

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right home was moments of silence

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crying . We were in shock , disbelief .

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Mhm That right . I can tell you it was

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no easy task . By day's end . Nearly

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3000 Americans were taken from us .

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They were murdered On this 10th

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anniversary . I'm sure each and every

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one of you can remember where you were

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and what you were doing , but I asked

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you to remember what followed the

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attacks immediately afterwards .

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Americans came together , reaching out

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neighbors helping neighbors , strangers

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helping strangers . When they searched

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the rubble for airlines from American

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and United , they found United

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Americans Acts of goodwill to our

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fellow man across our land . People

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were filled with kindness and in love .

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Ordinary americans became unnamed

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heroes . People volunteered a massive

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rescue and recovery . They were common

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people do an uncommon acts . Our flag

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flew proudly from sea to shining sea .

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That's the part of September 11 that

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the terrorists don't want you to

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remember . Perhaps the terrorists never

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realized that in time of need americans

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come together . Many people have asked

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me how I got the strength to get

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through September 11 . In the days that

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followed , I have to tell you , I got

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the strength and the courage to get

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through 9-11 and it was immediate few

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weeks from my unit and the uniform that

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I wore all the calls , the

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letters , the hugs for my fellow crew

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members showed me how important my unit

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was to me when hundreds of members of

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my unit lie in the driveway from my

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brother's memorial service . I felt

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great pride and I have to tell you

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knowing that why unit was going to be

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one of the first call to respond to get

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those bastards gave me great focus and

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peace of mind . A new

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generation of Americans volunteered to

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join our military in the aftermath of 9

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11 . Most of you were still in school .

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Perhaps even in grammar school . We all

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know that the first responders and the

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thousands of volunteers are 9 11 heroes .

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But 10 years later that heroic action

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still continues . It's in our troops on

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the front line . Each of you serving

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our great nation are american heroes .

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Don't forget it . You may not realize

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it . But then again , true heroes never

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do . America owes you a great debt of

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gratitude . I don't think that

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any words will ever give true justice

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to the horror and grief of that day .

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Nor will any words ever end our grief

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and our sadness . But we know that the

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good will defeat the evil . I know you

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will defeat the evil Today I ask you to

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join me and reflecting back on all

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those taken from us on 9 11 and all our

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military that have been killed in

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action and wounded since that date , I

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ask you to cherish life , cherish your

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family in our nation . Freedom was

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attacked on 9:11 by a faceless coward .

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It can destroy some airplanes and can

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destroy some buildings . But the

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memories of our loved ones , our

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character in our spirit will never be

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destroyed . May God bless all those

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taken from us on 9 11 May . God bless

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all of you serving our country on the

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front lines . May keep you safe

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and May . God bless America