WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement to commemorate the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.

“The September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a field near Shanksville, Pa., on the way to our Nation’s Capital, were intended to crush the American spirit, but instead they galvanized it to new strengths. The memories of that horrific day remain fresh, and the pain is still very real. In the minutes, hours, days and years following the attacks, Americans showed their amazing propensity for compassion, sacrifice and selflessness in an incredible variety of ways. Charity, volunteerism and a reawakening of American patriotism guided us through those toughest of times – and continue to do so today.

“Let us not only mourn for those we lost, but let us vow to them to be as compassionate as they would expect us to be. September 11 was intended to bring this country to new lows, but instead we’ve reached new heights. Congress and the American people have a special obligation to care for our first responders and others still living with the emotional and medical burdens of the attacks. We have a continuing obligation to support and serve the brave American men and women in this country and abroad who stand at the ready to thwart the plans of those who wish to do us harm.

“As we reflect back on that fateful day, known forever as 9/11, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice since that dreadful day 14 years ago serving as what President John F. Kennedy would have described as ‘watchmen on the walls of world freedom’, let us meet our awesome responsibility united as Americans, all of us patriots in our own way, acknowledging that it is both our privilege and our destiny.”

 Senator Cardin’s full statement in the Congressional Record can be found here (hyperlink line).

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