Five years ago today, America awoke to a terrible tragedy. Using planes as weapons, terrorist extremists had inflicted the greatest loss of civilian life on a single day in our nation's history. Nearly three thousand men and women, and our collective sense of security, died that morning. Against our will, we were a nation at war.

Americans adapted to this new struggle with courage and resolve. We saw that freedom was at war with fear, and we chose freedom. We made clear that terrorism and its sympathizers would no longer be tolerated. We went after our attackers, and we continue to battle terrorism wherever it is found.

We will never forget September 11, or the men and women who lost their lives that day. We remember them especially today and the families they left behind. We also remember the brave men and women who have given their lives defending freedom from terror, and those who still fight. And we rededicate ourselves to the ideals of freedom and justice that have made our nation a beacon of hope for so many and the target of terror for an evil few.