A Day of Service and Remembrance: Paying Tribute on the Anniversary of September 11th
![President Barack Obama, flanked by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, marks the eleventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, on September 11, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0911_potus_m.jpg)
More: Presidential Proclamation | United We Serve
Today, President Barack Obama delivered remarks at the Pentagon Memorial Service in Remembrance of 9/11. President Obama said, “Today we remember a day that began like so many others. There were rides to school and commutes to work, early flights and familiar routines, quick hugs and quiet moments. It was a day like this one — a clear blue sky, but a sky that would soon be filled with clouds of smoke and prayers of a nation shaken to its core.
“Even now, all these years later, it is easy for those of us who lived through that day to close our eyes and to find… more »
Remarks by the President at the Pentagon Memorial Service in Remembrance of 9/11
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
September 11, 2012
Pentagon Memorial
Arlington, Virginia
9:49 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Panetta, General Dempsey, members of our Armed Forces, and most importantly, to the families —survivors and loved ones — of those we lost, Michelle and I are humbled to join you again on this solemn anniversary.
Today we remember a day that began like so many others. There were rides to school and commutes to work, early flights and familiar routines, quick hugs and quiet moments. It was a day like this one — a clear blue sky, but a sky that would soon be filled with clouds of smoke and prayers of a nation shaken to its core.
Even now, all these years later, it is easy for those of us who lived through that day to close our eyes and to find ourselves back there — and back here — back when grief crashed over us like an awful wave, when Americans everywhere held each other tight, seeking the reassurance that the world we knew wasn’t crumbling under our feet.
Eleven times we have marked another September 11th come and gone. Eleven times, we have paused in remembrance, in reflection, in unity and in purpose. MORE
A Day of Remembrance
![President Barack Obama, from left, and First Lady Michelle Obama former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush visit North Memorial Pond at the National Sept. 11th Memorial, Sept., 11, 2011 in New York. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0911_sept11_memorial_m.jpg)
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama marked the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks by attending memorials at each of the three sites where the planes crashed ten years ago today. Their first stop was New York City, where they joined the annual service that includes reading the names of all of the almost 3,000 victims. The President and First Lady joined former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush at the new September 11 Memorial, which features two reflecting pools built over the towers’ footprints where the names of the victims are etched in bronze.
From New York, the Obamas traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania,… more »
In a video message, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton encourages service on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks on U.S. counterterrorism strategy at the John Jay School during events marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City, September 9, 2011.
