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Release Date: September 11, 2007
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
Secretary Chertoff: I don't think it's possible to sit through that film with a dry eye. And I think September 11th is always a date that causes us to be very conscious of the sacrifices made by our firefighters, our EMS, our police, everybody who serves, both securing our peace and our safety here at home, and of course, those who serve overseas.
I'm delighted to be here with Chief Rubin and Chief Lanier. I don't know if Congresswoman Norton and the Mayor are here yet. Also Hal Bruno, who I know is widely admired for his work on behalf of fallen firefighters, and of course, all the chiefs and public officials, family members and guests who are here.
When you think back to September 11th, I know we all remember where we were on that date. And I think there's a special place in everybody's heart and mind for those who had to rush to the scene – as someone said, rushing towards the catastrophe rather than away from it – whether they be firefighters, emergency technicians or police. Happily, there was no loss of life among the firefighters here, but there was, of course, a tremendous loss of life in New York. And both here and in New York, brave men and women put their lives at risk to save the lives of others.
Unfortunately, thousands of our fellow citizens were not spared through what has to be, unquestionably, the worst and most sinister attack on this country in our history.
I had the privilege earlier today to go to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where they have the site in which there will be a permanent memorial for Flight 93. That was the flight which was destined to be targeted to Washington, and through the heroic effort of passengers on the flight who became aware of the fact that other planes had been hijacked, that flight never reached its target, and instead crashed into the countryside in a peaceful farming area of Pennsylvania.
When they took the action to bring that plane down, the citizens on that flight were acting in the finest tradition of citizen soldiers, and they displayed the same courage that the firefighters and police displayed in other locations in this country. But of course, what's especially remarkable about what the passengers on Flight 93 did is that they were not sworn or trained to defend this country; they simply acted spontaneously, like Americans. And that's an inspiration for everybody.
And the fact is, if you think about it, if they hadn't done what they did, and that plane had reached its target, that target would have been here in this city, and there's a real possibility that some of the people in this room would have had to respond to what could have been a catastrophic attack on the Capitol or the White House, and some of them may not have survived. So in a very real sense, all of us, and certainly those in this room, owe a real debt of gratitude to the passengers on Flight 93.
I'm asked the question sometimes, are we safer now than we were before September 11th, 2001. And the answer to that is, of course, yes, although we are by no means perfectly safe. And we may not be perfectly safe in our lifetimes, because the enemy – and we are facing an enemy – continues to adapt and change to find ways to attack us. And every day when you turn on the television or open a newspaper, you see evidence of their intent to carry the war to us.
If you saw the excerpt of bin Laden's video over the weekend, you saw that his hatred for us remains unabated, and his determination to pursue his ideology of fanaticism is as strong as it ever was, although, thankfully, his capabilities are less.
Of course we're doing a tremendous amount overseas, on battlefields, some known and some unknown, here at home to strengthen our country and to make ourselves more secure against an attack. We're better equipped to prevent an attack, we're better equipped to protect if we are attacked, and we're better equipped to respond, and that's because we work together at all levels of government, both public and private, to make this country strong.
But in the end there's one weapon that counts more than everything, and that is our resolve, our determination to keep fighting the fight, our determination not to back down, but to continue to fight to secure our freedom. Without that resolve, all the equipment and the training and the capabilities really aren't enough to do the job.
I had, as I think Chief Rubin said, I had an occasion a couple weeks ago to read a story in the New York Times that questioned whether it's time to get over 9/11, whether we should have 9/11 fatigue and whether we should stop commemorating 9/11 because, after all, we don't remember the Maine anymore, and we don't spend a lot of time thinking about Pearl Harbor. Well, I guess I would say that what we face now is very different than the Spanish American War and Pearl Harbor. Those wars are over. This war is still underway.
And when I was in Shanksville, I asked the family members and the people who stood with me in that rainy, somewhat somber morning mist whether they felt it was time to get over 9/11 and whether they had 9/11 fatigue. And the answer to that of course was, no. So I promised them that as long as it's in my power to draw a breath, I and everybody in my department – 208,000 of us – will continue to spend every moment focused on what we can do to make this country better and that we will not back down. And I'm quite confident when I made that pledge, I made that pledge for everybody in this room, everybody in the fire and EMS service and the police department.
So I want you to join me in reaffirming our dedication to protecting this country. I want to thank you for the fine work you do, not only as head of the Department of Homeland Security, but as a citizen of this metropolitan region. In many ways, this region is a leader in homeland security. I look forward to continuing to work with you all in building on that capacity. But most of all, I want to thank God that we've lived to see this day and I want to promise the citizens of this area and this country we will never rest working to secure this country and protects its people.
Thank you very much.
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This page was last reviewed/modified on September 11, 2007.