Two Years Later: Remembrance, Acts of Heroism and a Struggle We Will Win

Today the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks is upon us. As I travel around the district talking with people, I have frequently been asked where we stand. Are we really safer now than we were two years ago before the terrorists struck? The answer is yes, we are safer, but we are still not as safe as we should be. Most of the improvements come from an increased awareness of the dangers we face and a broader knowledge of our vulnerabilities. Everyone, whether they sit around a conference table or a kitchen table, knows terrorism is real and presents a dangerous threat to Americans and to our way of life.

The creation of a Department of Homeland Security has been an important step in making America safer. Among other things, the Department has taken measures to improve security at our airports and along our borders. It has also begun to invest in new technologies, such as sensors and detectors to help keep weapons of mass destruction from being smuggled into the country. But clearly, there is much, much more to do. Overcoming the many years of neglect will take time.

But we have not just been playing defense. We have taken the fight directly to terrorists all around the world. The battles in Afghanistan and the operations in Iraq are vital elements in protecting our Nation from having to mourn another September 11. If we are successful in helping the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq develop the tools they need to build a responsible government and a market economy, the United States will have taken a great step in ridding the world of terrorism. If young people in these countries have an opportunity to work and build wealth and even to pass that wealth on to their children, they have hope for the future. If they have hope, they are far less likely to be recruited by terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda.

The entire world is watching carefully what the United States is doing in Iraq. If we lose our resolve, terrorists and other predators will be emboldened. The battle against terrorism will be more difficult, and we will have done an injustice to those who gave their lives to this cause. If we are successful, however, we will have laid a crucial cornerstone for a safer, more stable world.

Today, as people across the world remember September 11, I believe they will come away with a sense of pride in the American spirit. The terrorists saw us as soft and self-centered. They believed we cared more about our material well-being than about our freedom and that we would tire and grow complacent. Our efforts over the past two years have shown the terrorists of the world that they were mistaken in their judgment of the American people and of our resolve to protect freedom.

Acts of heroism, like those we remember from September 11, continue today. They continue in the bravery of the American soldier protecting our freedoms abroad. They continue in the courage of the fireman and policeman guarding our cities and towns. They continue in the heart of the American citizen.

I am confident that our love of liberty, our sense of duty, and our individual acts of courage will continue to see us through this struggle.