Thirteen years ago today, Islamic extremists, under the direction and tutelage of Al Qaeda, perpetrated the most horrendous act of terror in American history, and perhaps in the history of the world. Thirteen years ago today, 2,977 of our fellow Americans lost their lives to an act of brutal and unthinkable violence. Today we remember these victims and their families. We remember in particular all those first responders who lost their lives in the service of others: firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, and paramedics, as well as the many heroic civilians who gave the ultimate sacrifice to help their fellow man.
Today marks one of the blackest days in the history of our great nation. But even in her darkest hour, America did not give up. We did not falter. We did not surrender. Like we did in 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor, we rose again. And like we did with the Empire of Japan, we rose and crushed those who dared to raise their hand against us. We rebuilt our broken country literally from the ground up. On the site of Ground Zero now stands a building of even greater magnificence. A building which is, appropriately, 1776 feet tall. A building that represents the American ideals of freedom and resiliency.
This morning in one of my classes, my professor showed us CBS footage of that fateful morning. At first I sat there in a sort of stunned shock. That gave way to sadness; I struggled to hold back tears as I watched thousands of innocent Americans die. This soon gave way to a feeling of extreme anger at those who committed this act of terror. The final emotion I felt, however, was that of pride. Pride in how America dealt with this tragedy. Pride in how people all over the country came together, regardless of political opinions, religion, or ethnicities, to support those who had lost so much. I believe that one of America's most unique qualities is our resilience and ability to get back up after we've been knocked down. Time after time we have been dealt terrible blows and setbacks. And time after time we have got right back up, stronger than ever. This is what makes America great. This is why America still exists. As President George W. Bush said, in one of my favorite quotes, "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve." In these two sentences, Bush sums up what it means to be an American. Being an American does not mean merely living in America. Being American is a way of life, or at least it should be.
America, let us never forget. Let us always remember our fallen brothers and sisters. Let us always remember that freedom comes at a price. May God bless us, may God bless our troops, and may God bless these United States of America.
