Governor DeSantis Announces Launch of 9/11 Curriculum in Florida Schools at Memorial Ceremony

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (WWSB) – Governor Ron DeSantis spoke at the 9/11 Memorial Service in Palm Harbor to honor those lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Below is a transcript of Governor Ron DeSantis’ remarks:

“Thank you very much. Please be seated. Thank you. Thank you. Well, it’s great to be back. We’ve been able to do this for a number of years. Of course, I grew up right around the corner in Dunedin, and I think what you’ve done here in Curlew Hills has been very meaningful. And you have a great deal of community involvement, and I’m really happy to see that continue after all these years. Last year, I wasn’t here. Last year, I went to the Ground Zero memorial in lower Manhattan, and we did that after we had made friends with a lot of the 9/11 families. We heard a lot of stories not only about that day, but different kinds of challenges that have happened since then. And my wife and I were able to go to the different sites with the family members, and they would tell you about the loved ones they lost that day.

It has had a huge impact on me ever since that day in 2001. Meeting so many people whose lives were changed that day was very moving. And I think it strengthens our resolve to do everything we can to never forget, to honour the people who lost their lives not only that day, but those who have lost their lives since. That day and that attack represent the worst that humanity has to offer. But the response to that attack — whether it was the office workers at the World Trade Center who rushed to get their colleagues to safety — whether it was the members of the FDNY or the Port Authority or the NYPD who rushed into the burning towers, knowing the risks involved in saving lives and who gave their lives in doing so — whether it was the passengers on United Flight 93 who knew what was happening, who knew that if they stopped it, they would not have survived that flight, but who knew that if they let it continue, hundreds, if not thousands more people could be killed, but who were not going to let that happen on their watch — what they did that day, taken together, represented the best of what humanity and America has to offer. And we will never forget the sacrifices that these people made; many of them were ordinary people doing their jobs honestly or who just happened to be on an airplane. And yet they stood up and they were heroes. And for that, we will be eternally grateful.

It’s also important to remember that 9/11 changed this country like few other events have. I can tell you from my own personal experience that I would not have joined the United States military without 9/11 and I probably would not have deployed to Iraq without 9/11. Even though I didn’t personally know anyone who died at the World Trade Center or the Pentagon or Shanksville, Pennsylvania, it moved me to say, “America is going to fight back.” And we had so many people from my generation who joined the military. And yes, you have the conflict in Afghanistan, which went on for a very long time, and the end of that conflict was not commensurate with the honor that those people who put their lives on the line deserved. We also had a long conflict in Iraq. We never had a draft after that.

Our fellow countrymen raised their hands to serve. And that means that these people were not just deployed once, but, like me, they were deployed three, four, five times, over a period of five or ten years. They missed Christmas, Easter, their birthdays. They missed every holiday with their families. They carried a tremendous burden for this country. And so, on behalf of the post-9/11 generation of veterans, I just want to say to you, as governor, thank you for your service. We appreciate what you did. It was a difficult time for this country. Not every policy decision that was made was the right one. But every duty that was asked of you, you did it. And you did it with honor and integrity.

And finally, I want to say that we say “never forget.” And part of the reason we have events like today at the World Trade Center site in Manhattan, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania is to make sure that people remember what happened that day, to honor those who were killed, and to celebrate those who rose to the occasion. I think that’s entirely appropriate, but it also occurs to me that most people in our country who are under the age of 30 were either not born yet or were probably too young to have a clear memory of what 9/11 was about. So when we say “never forget,” it means that doing things every year on 9/11 is necessary, but it’s not sufficient. And so, I’m proud to have worked with the Florida Legislature to develop a 9/11 curriculum for our schools, so that every year we have education about the causes of 9/11, the destruction of 9/11, and the heroic response that so many people made to 9/11.

This program was not designed in an ivory tower. It was designed in coordination with the families of the victims of 9/11, with veterans of the World Trade Center response, and with veterans of the Pentagon. And I think that’s a very, very meaningful thing. As a father of young children – seven, six, and four – my children are maybe a little too young to fully understand at this point, but I’m sure that as they grow up in the state of Florida, they’ll be taught what this event means to our country. It’s a wake-up call to know that evil is out there. But it’s also an inspiration – or should be an inspiration – to know how these people responded when everything was on the line. They rose to the occasion. They sacrificed and saved many, many lives in the process. We’ve worked hard on this program. And today, across Florida, this program is going to be launched. It’s really important. And I know everybody here is grateful that this is being done in the state of Florida. Most states don’t do anything like this, but we’re not going to forget it.

Outside of the tri-state area, we are the first place that 9/11 veterans have moved since 9/11. In this area, you have people who have retired from the Port Authority, the FDNY, and the NYPD. So Florida has a special obligation as the homeland that so many people who were there that day wanted. We have to make sure that we do right by their sacrifice and that future generations will never truly forget. Thank you. God bless you. God bless the memory of those who lost their lives. God bless the people who sacrificed and God bless these United States of America.