WATCH: Congressman Pfluger on the Impacts of 9/11

SAN ANGELO, TX – During the 2023 9/11 Memorial ceremony in San Angelo Monday, Congressman August Pfluger told the crowd his personal story on that tragic day in 2001.

In the video above, Pfluger told the crowd where he was on 9/11/2001. On that day, Pfluger was at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, finishing flight school. That day would eventually lead him into becoming a fighter pilot and to him being deployed to Afghanistan.

On 9/11, 2,996 people died, and thousands more were affected. Pfluger says that people are still dealing with those deaths, including himself. He told the audience of his classmate and good friend at Laughlin, Tamara Archuleta. He said that because of 9/11, he and Archuleta were deployed to Afghanistan. Archuleta was a helicopter pilot and died on Mar. 23, 2003, after crashing into a mountain while on a rescue mission.

His point was to show that the death toll of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is so much more than 2,996.

"There is a saying: most gave some, but some gave all," said Pfluger. "I remember Tamara Archuleta today. I remember her family who still lives in New Mexico today. Because of her sacrifices, our country is a safer place, and our world is a safer place."

He finished his speech by thanking all the service men and women and first responders who were in attendance.