Chuck Hagel: “Today is a day for remembrance and reflection. The attacks of September 11, 2001, affected all Americans as individuals…”

“Today is a day for remembrance and reflection. The attacks of September 11, 2001, affected all Americans as individuals, as families, and as a Nation. On that day, 2 years ago, I told the Omaha World Herald: "America is forever changed." We remember today those who died 2 years ago in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania, as well as those who have since lost their lives to terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Yemen, and elsewhere. Their sacrifices and service should reinforce our commitment to defeating this new scourge of mankind. History has allowed America no quarter from the heavy burdens of leadership. The post-cold-war era of the 1990s now seems like an interlude between two epoch challenges: the cold war and the war on terrorism. Just as previous American generations defeated Nazi tyranny and contained Soviet expansion, today's war on terrorism requires new thinking, commitments, sacrifices, and responsibilities by a new generation of Americans. Americans can take pride in the courage and determination we have shown over the last 2 years.”