Land of Hope and Glory

Jordan and I took in the news of the terrorist attacks together seven years ago. He was newly arrived home after 15 month's of working in Utah, and was preparing to enter the MTC in less than a month, eager and excited about his call to the Philippines San Pablo Mission. My heart was full of the memory of him and all the 9/11 victims as I listened to the dedication of the Pentagon Memorial this morning, alone. I know he would have been inspired by the remarks of President George W. Bush and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as well as the stirring music, if he had been here this day. Perhaps he was listening, or maybe he was even there with the top brass in Arlington, Virginia!

I found it to be a personal blessing to have been able to listen to the ceremony. My gratitude for this great nation and its remarkable leaders soared. I drew from their example of determination in the face of opposition, the resolve to stick to goals and principles that have always been of great value to me. My sister Julie's two sons and two sons-in-law, who are about halfway through with their second deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq, were heavy on my mind, too, and I felt impressed to pray even more fervently for their protection, and for the welfare of their families in their extended absence. Joseph, Christopher, Mike, and James, thank you for your steady, courageous service not just to our nation, but to the world!

Secretary Rumsfeld spoke movingly when he said:

This morning we gather to dedicate this ground, where a great building became a battlefield, where stone became dust, steel became shrapnel; and where flame, smoke and destruction stole the lives of 184 men, women and children.

This memorial tells the story of their last, terrible moments on this Earth -- moments when families were destroyed, when a symbol of America’s strength was scarred, and when our country became, in the words of an American poet, “acquainted with the night." Today we renew our vows to never forget how this long struggle began, and to never forget those who fell first.

Remembered and honored are fellow workers, friends, and family members. They were men and women at their desks in the Pentagon, who one morning kissed their loved ones goodbye, went off to work and never came home. And they were the passengers and the crew aboard Flight 77, who in their last moments made phone calls to loved ones, and prayed to the Almighty, before their journey ended such a short distance from where it began.

Each with different backgrounds and different dreams, it was here that their fates were cruelly merged forever. In the flag that flies above this memorial, we will be reminded of what they had in common. They fell, side by side, as Americans. And make no mistake, it was because they were Americans that they were killed here in this place.

Those of us who were in the Pentagon on September 11th share -- and we will always share -- a very special bond with each member of their families and with each other. We will not forget the way this huge building shook. We will not forget our colleagues and friends who were taken from us and from their families. And we will not forget what that deadly attack has meant for our country.

In the sinister logic of its perpetrators, and in the suffering of its victims, September 11th was among the darkest of days for Americans. But it was also the day that America can be said to have rediscovered its special grace -- the American people’s capacity for courage, for goodwill and for sacrifice.

Here, beneath the sloping fields of Arlington National Cemetery -- fields that hold our nation’s fallen -- this building stands as a silent monument to the resolve of a free people. And so too this memorial in its shadow will stand not only as a symbol of a nation’s grief, but as an eternal reminder of men and women of valor who saw flame and smoke and stepped forward to save and protect the lives of their fellow Americans on September 11th. Let it also remind us of each of those who have volunteered to serve in our nation’s armed forces, before and every day since. Our nation’s military has stood guard in this new age of peril, determined that what happened here, seven years ago, must not happen again.

We have been “acquainted with the night.” We have taken its measure. In the darkest of times, we have stood together. In defiance, our nation has pressed on toward morning. With resolve renewed, and with the certain strength of the American people, our nation will force the dawn.

My constant prayer is that God will bless the families of those we remember this day. And that the good Lord will bless all of those who have lost loved ones in the long struggle that has followed. We are deeply in their debt. And each of us will remain so for the rest of our lives.

President Bush recalled: Seven years ago at this hour, a doomed airliner plunged from the sky, split the rock and steel of this building, and changed our world forever. The years that followed
have seen justice delivered to evil men and battles fought in distant lands. But each year on this day, our thoughts return to this place.

Here, we remember those who died. And here, on this solemn anniversary, we dedicate a memorial that will enshrine their memory for all time....

As we walk among the benches, we will remember there could have been many more lives lost. On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose: Pentagon employees ran into smoke-filled corridors to guide their friends to safety. Firefighters rushed up the stairs of the World Trade Center as the towers neared collapse. Passengers aboard Flight 93 charged the cockpit and laid down their lives to spare countless others. One of the worst days in America’s history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans’ history. We’ll always honor the heroes of 9/11. And here at this hallowed place, we pledge that we will never forget their sacrifice. We ask a loving God to watch over our troops in battle. We ask Him to comfort the families who mourn. And we ask Him to bless our great land.