Actor Chris Pratt shared a personal tribute to 9/11 victims on social media that ended with him calling all Americans to continue to embrace the unity and patriotism they felt with each other after the tragedy.
Several days after the anniversary of the deadliest attack on U.S. soil apart from Pearl Harbor, Pratt posted a video of a 9/11 memorial speech he gave at Pepperdine University. In the address, Pratt not only honored those who died, but urged politicians to apply to wisdom gained in that tragedy to future policies.
He also urged Americans to "rekindle the 9/11 effect and keep it alive" for future generations so that they may have the same "faith," "love" and "patriotism" that "grew from the ashes of that day."
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The "Guardians of the Galaxy" star gave his speech in front of the Pepperdine students, faculty and alumni at Alumni Park on the school’s Malibu campus last Monday.
Pratt, the event’s keynote speaker, began by telling the crowd how he witnessed the events of that day while he was filming a movie in New Zealand, and mentioned the deep emotions the images stirred in him.
He said, "I’d never seen anything like that in my life. I stepped out and I fell to my knees in the snow and I cried. And I cried. And in that moment, I gotta say, I felt – I felt really alone. And I wanted to go home. I wanted to come back to America."
He mentioned worrying about his brother, who he said was serving in the U.S. Army during the tragedy. "My brother, my older brother Cully was in the army at the time. I thought, ‘Oh my God, my brother’s going to go to war."
"I felt the tectonic plates of the earth shifting beneath my feet. I knew in that moment that the world I lived in was going to be totally different moving forward," he added.
Pratt then spoke to the importance of having memorial observances more than two decades on from the tragedy, telling the Pepperdine community they "ensure that we will not forget what happened on that tragic day. They were important then, they’re even more important now, 22 years later."
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He continued, saying, "Understanding this history means a future in which policymakers have the opportunity to take the lessons of the past and apply them going forward as wisdom. That’s what we owe those on the planes, and in the buildings, who never made it home that day. It’s what we owe the firefighters, the police officers and paramedics who responded."
"It’s what we owe those who were already in uniform and those who stepped up in service to this great nation in the aftermath of the attacks," he added.
The actor then urged Americans to continue promoting the values they clung to in the immediate wake of the tragedy.
"We must remember, we have to teach our children the lessons of 9/11, to rekindle the 9/11 effect and keep it alive," he said. "Faith, religion, love of our fellow citizens and patriotism grew from the ashes of that day."
In an X post accompanying the video, Pratt wrote a similar message to his 8.4 million followers, stating, "Don't let the 9/11 effect fade. Just a week ago, we gathered to remember the heroes and the indomitable spirit that emerged from the ashes. Let's keep that fire of patriotism burning bright, honoring the sacrifices of those who stepped up in the face of adversity."
He added, "In a world that sometimes feels divided, it's crucial to remember that we are one nation, united under the same flag, indivisible. Let's carry the torch forward, ensuring that the lessons of 9/11 continue to shape our future and inspire generations to come. #NeverForget @pepperdine."
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