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George W. Bush: 9/11 Address
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"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve," -- President George W. Bush, 2001.
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On Sept. 11, 2001, in full view of television cameras and tourists’ lenses, Islamic terrorists with the al Qaeda terrorist regime would fly two American airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City, N.Y. and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
A fourth plane would crash in a field in Shanksville, Penn. after passengers and crew of the hijacked plane would storm the cockpit, preventing the terrorists from hitting their intended target.
President George W. Bush, who was in Florida visiting an elementary school at the height of the attacks, would be ushered across the country on Air Force One under tight security before returning back to Washington.
Facing an unprecedented attack on the homeland, with an enemy unknown to most Americans, Bush’s words helped to stir the resolve of ordinary citizens and encourage extraordinary efforts to rally the country from coast to coast:
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America -- with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.
The attacks, carried out by 19 hijackers, killed 2,974 people from over 90 nations. Twenty-four people remain missing and are presumed dead.
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