I am grateful and privileged to be gathered here with ALPA staff, ALPA members, and fellow colleagues to pay tribute to the passengers and flight and cabin crews of:

• United Flight 93,
• United Flight 175,
• American Airlines Flight 11, and
• American Airlines Flight 77.

We’re honored to have with us today:

• Captain Bob Fox and First Officer Richard Cameron, chairman and vice chairman of United Airlines Council 11,
• as well as Captain Carl Jackson, DCA domicile vice chairman of the Allied Pilots Association.

Slight pause

Twelve years ago today, our people, our country, and our way of life were attacked.

As airline pilots, this was a personal attack—our livelihoods and our profession were targeted by terrorists with the intent of hateful destruction.

And as we struggled through the dark days that immediately followed, we harnessed that rage and sadness, and ultimately pledged to not let this senseless tragedy ground us.

We pledged to “never forget” the sacrifice of those United and American crewmembers and passengers.

We vowed to prevent terrorist attacks like 9/11 from ever happening again.

Today, we stand firmly unified in making our skies, our aircraft, and our airports safer and more secure.

Today, our unflinching resolve and our fierce determination to fulfill this commitment fuel the efforts of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, to make positive changes in our industry.

The pledge we made drives us to promote the Federal Flight Deck Officer program. Pilots who serve as federal flight deck officers stand as the last line of defense in protecting our air space through this critical and cost-effective program.

Our commitment to our fallen colleagues also fuels our efforts to close the gaps that still exist in cargo security.

To that end, the Air Line Pilots Association is a strong advocate for passage of the Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2013.

Named to honor the memory of ALPA member Victor Saracini, captain of United Flight 175, this legislation would fulfill Congress’s intent to make cockpits more secure by ensuring that U.S. airlines adopt secondary barriers on all their aircraft.

The pledge we made motivated us to partner with Airlines for America and the Transportation Security Administration on the Known Crewmember Program—an extremely successful program that underscores the value of, and need for, a risk-based approach to security.

Today, we join together in our memorial garden to honor the memories of the crews and passengers of those four flights, the first responders, and all the victims of September 11.