Dear 9/11 Memorial Supporters,
Ten years ago, our world changed forever.
Today, we remember the 2,983 men, women and children who
were taken from us too soon on what should have been a
beautiful Tuesday morning. We remember airplanes
transformed into weapons and iconic buildings destroyed.
We also remember how we came together to mourn and to
care for one another, with an unmistakable resolve to
overcome the tragedy.
We promised then that we would always remember
those who perished. Today, we as a country fulfill that
obligation to never forget by opening the National
September 11 Memorial in a dedication ceremony attended
by thousands of victims' family members. For the first
time, these families are able to touch the names of
their loved ones, now inscribed around the sacred tower
footprints for time immemorial.
The pain of 9/11 can never be erased. But there
is an undeniable importance to the 10th anniversary--and
an unquestionable sense of hope at seeing the progress
at the World Trade Center site. In the years since 9/11,
we've seen our city and our country come together around
building the 9/11 Memorial, and today's dedication is
testament to that unity. We owe a tremendous debt of
gratitude to hundreds of thousands of people from across
the country and around the world.
I cannot begin to thank
the thousands of men and women who have made the
building of the 9/11 Memorial their passion. Teams
from the Memorial, the City of New York, the Port
Authority, the State of New York, the architects and
engineers and every single construction worker have all
contributed to building something that befits the
sacredness of the ground upon which the 9/11 Memorial
sits.
Tomorrow, the public will be able to set foot
on the World Trade Center site for the first time in ten
years. Already, people from all 50 states and more than
70 countries have reserved a free pass to visit. I hope
you will take the opportunity to plan your own visit on
our website:
911memorial.org
From this day forward, the Memorial will be a
constant reminder not only of what we have endured, but
also of our ability to come together, in the wake of
tragedy, with limitless compassion.