Posted on 09/11/2005 12:25:43 PM PDT by RWR8189
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld is scheduled to deliver these remarks Sunday during a wreath-laying ceremony in observance of Sept. 11, 2001, at Arlington National Cemetery.
Chaplain James May. Families and friends of those we are here to honor.
We gather here, in this place of remembrance, to reflect on a day when terrorists--extremists--struck at the heart of a free people. A day when Americans lost mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and friends and colleagues.
They came from different cultures, different races and different backgrounds.
But what united them all was that they had hopes and dreams that were their own, and they had the right and the opportunity to pursue them.
We struggle to find the words to say to those who have lost loved ones in this war. What one says to another who suffers a heart-wrenching loss can never seem enough. I wish we could say--as with many anniversaries--that this is a time for peaceful remembrance; that we were gathering to commemorate a danger that had long since passed; or even that the attacks of four years ago marked the ending--not one of the early shots of a protracted and difficult conflict.
But we cannot.
The enemy, though weakened and under assault, continues to plot attacks. And the danger they pose to the free world is real and present.
Somewhere among those gathered here today are children who lost a mother or father in those attacks. In a few years, they will reach adulthood.
What might they ask of us?
They will likely want to know why this terrible thing happened. That is difficult to explain. It is hard for free people to comprehend the mix of extremism and fervor that leads terrorists to murder innocents.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
In the dark days of our revolution, George Washington's army had been decimated in New York. A British admiral told three of our founding fathers that the revolutionaries could have peace if only they would reject the Declaration of Independence and give up their rebellion. To many it might have seemed a tempting offer. Prospects for victory seemed bleak. But those patriots refused. Their army rallied. And our country's independence was secured.
That date was Sept. 11, ... 1776. As it happens the place where those patriots refused to surrender is just minutes from the site of the World Trade Center.
Today, a vastly more vicious adversary seeks our surrender. Once again, we will refuse. And once again, our forces have rallied.
Do you have a link to the entire speech?
I just checked the site, and the speech is not there yet, but later on you might check http://www.defenselink.mil. That is the official site of the Department of Defense (DoD).
Thank you.
... In the dark days of our revolution, George Washington's army had been decimated in New York. A British admiral told three of our founding fathers that the revolutionaries could have peace if only they would reject the Declaration of Independence and give up their rebellion. To many it might have seemed a tempting offer. Prospects for victory seemed bleak. But those patriots refused. Their army rallied. And our country's independence was secured.
That date was Sept. 11, ... 1776. As it happens the place where those patriots refused to surrender is just minutes from the site of the World Trade Center.
Today, a vastly more vicious adversary seeks our surrender. Once again, we will refuse. And once again, our forces have rallied.
Today, history is being written by the valiant men and women of America's armed forces, and by determined citizens who will do all they can to keep other children from experiencing the heartbreak and terror of Sept. 11.
So today let us recommit ourselves to continuing history's great and necessary task. And to continuing to pursue these enemies until they pose no threat to free people.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0509110271sep11,1,457417.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
For those who lost loved ones to terrorism (Remarks by Donald Rumsfeld)
... In the dark days of our revolution, George Washington's army had been decimated in New York. A British admiral told three of our founding fathers that the revolutionaries could have peace if only they would reject the Declaration of Independence and give up their rebellion. To many it might have seemed a tempting offer. Prospects for victory seemed bleak. But those patriots refused. Their army rallied. And our country's independence was secured.
That date was Sept. 11, ... 1776. As it happens the place where those patriots refused to surrender is just minutes from the site of the World Trade Center.
Today, a vastly more vicious adversary seeks our surrender. Once again, we will refuse. And once again, our forces have rallied.
Today, history is being written by the valiant men and women of America's armed forces, and by determined citizens who will do all they can to keep other children from experiencing the heartbreak and terror of Sept. 11.
So today let us recommit ourselves to continuing history's great and necessary task. And to continuing to pursue these enemies until they pose no threat to free people.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0509110271sep11,1,457417.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
I know why this terrible thing happened. One has to only study the history of and the objective of Islam and you know why.
My heart goes out to those who were left behind, and with a hero of flight 93, Todd, I say, "Let's Roll !"
Thank you! I am going to zoom this out to my liberal friends who think we should cut and run before our mission is over. Thanks again.
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