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U.S.
Senator Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release September 11, 2006 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852 |
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Denver, CO – United States Senator Ken Salazar today released the text of his statement for the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The remarks will be inserted into the official Congressional Record. Sen. Ken Salazar Remembering the Victims of September 11th: Five Years Later
Mr. President, I wish to take a few minutes to reflect upon one of our Nation’s most trying hours. Five years ago, our Nation embarked on the greatest test of its courage and mettle since the Greatest Generation rose to the challenge of defending freedom in World War II from the forces of hatred and fascism. As the 9/11 Commission observed, the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, was a beautiful morning in New York and here in Washington, D.C., before the peace was shattered. None of us will forget those hours that morning, hours which saw our nation face unimaginable tragedy. This defining moment awoke within every American the grim knowledge that we are a Nation at war with hatred and fear, and that we must rise to the challenge. Each of us will remember where we were, what we were doing, when America turned to face this new challenge with sorrow and resolve. In the morning hours of September 11, starting at 8:46 A.M., we experienced the 21st Century’s “Pearl Harbor” moment. Americans stood transfixed by the images we saw unfolding before us: the brutal violence of intolerance, and the unimaginable courage of our heroes on the ground and in the air striving valiantly to prevent it. By 10:38 A.M., America began to truly understand the scope of what had happened: the thousands of innocent Americans lost, the destruction of the Twin Towers and damage to the Pentagon, the dawning of a new age in our Nation’s proud history. Each American grappled to understand this moment in history as it unfolded before us, trying to make sense of senselessness. As a Nation, we continue to struggle with it each day. Like all Americans, I have spent many hours seeking meaning from and understanding of the events of September 11, 2001. It has not been an easy task, nor will it ever be completed. But we know the importance of remembering those who are not here with us now – the innocent passengers aboard those four planes, and in the Towers and the Pentagon; the courageous first responders who charged into the chaos to try and save their fellow man; the brave service members who have given their lives around the world to protect the freedoms we continue to enjoy, to engage our enemies wherever they may run and hide. The people who perished during the September 11 attacks were not simply victims: they were mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, husbands and wives and friends and neighbors. We remember them for the shared jokes and laughter, the debates and challenges, the quarrels and sometimes heart-wrenching disagreements, the fellowship and love of family that bind us together. 9/11 represented a crossroads for our Nation: we had the choice between fear and hope, between appealing to our higher angels and succumbing to our darkest demons. A year from now, children starting kindergarten will never have known a world before 9/11. It is my greatest hope that a century from now, when schoolchildren look back on 9/11, it will be viewed not as the beginning of a time of darkness over our democracy, but as the clarion call for us to protect and defend the fundamental rights and liberties we enjoy, a rallying to the fundamental beliefs that we as Americans hold so dear. It is the least we can do, out of respect for those who left us that day. Those lost to us on September 11th and the struggles afterwards shall never be forgotten. They remain in our hearts, the source of our resolve. As we have in the past, America shall meet this challenge with honor, wisdom and an unbreakable spirit. As a Nation, we recommit ourselves to never giving in to those who would misrepresent faith to spread hate, fear and violence. We know that the gifts bestowed upon us are the gifts of faith, hope and love. We shall eschew the politicking of fear and instead choose the unity of purpose that our times require. Five years after that day, our Nation recommits itself to remembering the tremendous loss we suffered as a country. We seek to honor the sacrifices made on September 11th by renewing our faith in America itself. I stand here as sure today as I was when I went to sleep on the night of September 10, 2001, that it is the promise of our common goals of hope and progress, not fear and violence, that deliver freedom and security both at home and across the globe, for all people. # # #
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