George W. Bush Forty-Third President (2001 to 2009)
Remarks At Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Service
The Pentagon - Arlington, Virginia October 11, 2001
-
11:55 A.M. EDT
THE
PRESIDENT: President
and Senator Clinton, thank you all for being here. We have come here to
pay our respects to 125 men and women who died in the service of
America. We also remember 64 passengers on a hijacked plane; those men
and women, boys and girls who fell into the hands of evildoers, and also
died here exactly one month ago.
On September 11th, great sorrow
came to our country. And from that sorrow has come great resolve. Today,
we are a nation awakened to the evil of terrorism, and determined to
destroy it. That work began the moment we were attacked; and it will
continue until justice is delivered.
Americans are returning, as
we must, to the normal pursuits of life. (Applause.) Americans are
returning, as we must, to the normal pursuits of life. But we know that
if you lost a son or daughter here, or a husband, or a wife, or a mom or
dad, life will never again be as it was. The loss was sudden, and hard,
and permanent. So difficult to explain. So difficult to accept.
Three schoolchildren traveling with their teacher. An Army general. A
budget analyst who reported to work here for 30 years. A lieutenant
commander in the Naval Reserve who left behind a wife, a four-year-old
son, and another child on the way.
One life touches so many
others. One death can leave sorrow that seems almost unbearable. But to
all of you who lost someone here, I want to say: You are not alone. The
American people will never forget the cruelty that was done here and in
New York, and in the sky over Pennsylvania.
We will never forget
all the innocent people killed by the hatred of a few. We know the
loneliness you feel in your loss. The entire nation, entire nation
shares in your sadness. And we pray for you and your loved ones. And we
will always honor their memory.
The hijackers were instruments of
evil who died in vain. Behind them is a cult of evil which seeks to harm
the innocent and thrives on human suffering. Theirs is the worst kind of
cruelty, the cruelty that is fed, not weakened, by tears. Theirs is the
worst kind of violence, pure malice, while daring to claim the authority
of God. We cannot fully understand the designs and power of evil. It is
enough to know that evil, like goodness, exists. And in the terrorists,
evil has found a willing servant.
In New York, the terrorists
chose as their target a symbol of America's freedom and confidence.
Here, they struck a symbol of our strength in the world. And the attack
on the Pentagon, on that day, was more symbolic than they knew. It was
on another September 11th -- September 11th, 1941 -- that construction
on this building first began. America was just then awakening to another
menace: The Nazi terror in Europe.
And on that very night,
President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the nation. The danger, he warned,
has long ceased to be a mere possibility. The danger is here now. Not
only from a military enemy, but from an enemy of all law, all liberty,
all morality, all religion.
For us too, in the year 2001, an
enemy has emerged that rejects every limit of law, morality, and
religion. The terrorists have no true home in any country, or culture,
or faith. They dwell in dark corners of earth. And there, we will find
them.
This week, I have called -- (applause) -- this week, I have
called the Armed Forces into action. One by one, we are eliminating
power centers of a regime that harbors al Qaeda terrorists. We gave that
regime a choice: Turn over the terrorists, or face your ruin. They chose
unwisely. (Applause.)
The Taliban regime has brought nothing but
fear and misery to the people of Afghanistan. These rulers call
themselves holy men, even with their record of drawing money from heroin
trafficking. They consider themselves pious and devout, while subjecting
women to fierce brutality.
The Taliban has allied itself with
murderers and gave them shelter. But today, for al Qaeda and the
Taliban, there is no shelter. (Applause.) As Americans did 60 years ago,
we have entered a struggle of uncertain duration. But now, as then, we
can be certain of the outcome, because we have a number of decisive
assets.
We have a unified country. We have the patience to fight
and win on many fronts: Blocking terrorist plans, seizing their funds,
arresting their networks, disrupting their communications, opposing
their sponsors. And we have one more great asset in this cause: The
brave men and women of the United States military. (Applause.)
From my first days in this office, I have felt and seen the strong
spirit of the Armed Forces. I saw it at Fort Stewart, Georgia, when I
first reviewed our troops as Commander-in-Chief, and looked into the
faces of proud and determined soldiers. I saw it in Annapolis on a
graduation day, at Camp Pendleton in California, Camp Bondsteel in
Kosovo. And I have seen this spirit at the Pentagon, before and after
the attack on this building.
You've responded to a great
emergency with calm and courage. And for that, your country honors you.
A Commander-in-Chief must know, must know that he can count on the skill
and readiness of servicemen and women at every point in the chain of
command. You have given me that confidence.
And I give you these
commitments. The wound to this building will not be forgotten, but it
will be repaired. Brick by brick, we will quickly rebuild the Pentagon.
(Applause.) In the missions ahead for the military, you will have
everything you need, every resource, every weapon -- (applause) -- every
means to assure full victory for the United States and the cause of
freedom. (Applause.)
And I pledge to you that America will never
relent on this war against terror. (Applause.) There will be times of
swift, dramatic action. There will be times of steady, quiet progress.
Over time, with patience, and precision, the terrorists will be pursued.
They will be isolated, surrounded, cornered, until there is no place to
run, or hide, or rest. (Applause.)
As military and civilian
personnel in the Pentagon, you are an important part of the struggle we
have entered. You know the risks of your calling, and you have willingly
accepted them. You believe in our country, and our country believes in
you. (Applause.)
Within sight of this building is Arlington
Cemetery, the final resting place of many thousands who died for our
country over the generations. Enemies of America have now added to these
graves, and they wish to add more. Unlike our enemies, we value every
life, and we mourn every loss.
Yet we're not afraid. Our cause is
just, and worthy of sacrifice. Our nation is strong of heart, firm of
purpose. Inspired by all the courage that has come before, we will meet
our moment and we will prevail. (Applause.)
May God bless you
all, and may God bless America. (Applause.)
On September 11th, great sorrow
came to our country. And from that sorrow has come great resolve. Today,
we are a nation awakened to the evil of terrorism, and determined to
destroy it. That work began the moment we were attacked; and it will
continue until justice is delivered.
For us too, in the year 2001, an
enemy has emerged that rejects every limit of law, morality, and
religion. The terrorists have no true home in any country, or culture,
or faith. They dwell in dark corners of earth. And there, we will find
them.
