[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 41 (Monday, October 15, 2001)]
[Pages 1451-1453]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Department of Defense Service of Remembrance in 
Arlington, Virginia

October 11, 2001

    President and Senator Clinton, thank you all for being here. We have 
come here to pay our respects to 125 men and women who died in the 
service of America. We also remember 64 passengers on a hijacked plane, 
those men and women, boys and girls who fell into the hands of evildoers 
and also died here exactly one month ago.
    On September 11th, great sorrow came to our country. And from that 
sorrow has come great resolve. Today, we are a nation awakened to the 
evil of terrorism and determined to destroy it. That work began the 
moment we were attacked, and it will continue until justice is 
delivered.
    Americans are returning, as we must, to the normal pursuits of life. 
But we know that if you lost a son or daughter here or a husband or wife 
or mom or dad, life will never again be as it was. The loss was sudden 
and hard and permanent, so difficult to explain, so difficult to accept: 
three schoolchildren traveling with their teacher; an Army general; a 
budget analyst who reported to work here for 30 years; a lieutenant 
commander in the Naval Reserve who left behind a wife, a 4-year-old son, 
and another child on the way.

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    One life touches so many others. One death can leave sorrow that 
seems almost unbearable. But to all of you who lost someone here, I want 
to say: You are not alone. The American people will never forget the 
cruelty that was done here and in New York and in the sky over 
Pennsylvania. We will never forget all the innocent people killed by the 
hatred of a few. We know the loneliness you feel in your loss. The 
entire Nation--the entire Nation shares in your sadness. And we pray for 
you and your loved ones, and we will always honor their memory.
    The hijackers were instruments of evil who died in vain. Behind them 
is a cult of evil which seeks to harm the innocent and thrives on human 
suffering. Theirs is the worst kind of cruelty, the cruelty that is fed, 
not weakened, by tears. Theirs is the worst kind of violence, pure 
malice while daring to claim the authority of God. We cannot fully 
understand the designs and power of evil. It is enough to know that 
evil, like goodness, exists. And in the terrorists, evil has found a 
willing servant.
    In New York, the terrorists chose as their target a symbol of 
America's freedom and confidence. Here, they struck a symbol of our 
strength in the world. And the attack on the Pentagon, on that day, was 
more symbolic than they knew. It was on another September 11th--
September 11th, 1941--that construction on this building first began. 
America was just then awakening to another menace, the Nazi terror in 
Europe.
    And on that very night, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the 
Nation. The danger, he warned, ``has long ceased to be a mere 
possibility. The danger is here now--not only from a military enemy but 
from an enemy of all law, all liberty, all morality, all religion.''
    For us too, in the year 2001, an enemy has emerged that rejects 
every limit of law, morality, and religion. The terrorists have no true 
home in any country or culture or faith. They dwell in dark corners of 
Earth. And there, we will find them.
    This week, I have called the Armed Forces into action. One by one, 
we are eliminating power centers of a regime that harbors Al Qaida 
terrorists. We gave that regime a choice: Turn over the terrorists, or 
face your ruin. They chose unwisely.
    The Taliban regime has brought nothing but fear and misery to the 
people of Afghanistan. These rulers call themselves holy men, even with 
their record of drawing money from heroin trafficking. They consider 
themselves pious and devout, while subjecting women to fierce brutality.
    The Taliban has allied itself with murderers and gave them shelter. 
But today, for Al Qaida and the Taliban, there is no shelter.
    As Americans did 60 years ago, we have entered a struggle of 
uncertain duration. But now, as then, we can be certain of the outcome 
because we have a number of decisive assets. We have a unified country. 
We have the patience to fight and win on many fronts, blocking terrorist 
plans, seizing their funds, arresting their networks, disrupting their 
communications, opposing their sponsors. And we have one more great 
asset in this cause, the brave men and women of the United States 
military.
    From my first days in this office, I have felt and seen the strong 
spirit of the Armed Forces. I saw it at Fort Stewart, Georgia, when I 
first reviewed our troops as Commander in Chief and looked into the 
faces of proud and determined soldiers. I saw it in Annapolis on a 
graduation day, at Camp Pendleton in California, Camp Bondsteel in 
Kosovo. And I have seen this spirit at the Pentagon, before and after 
the attack on this building.
    You've responded to a great emergency with calm and courage. And for 
that, your country honors you. A Commander in Chief must know--must 
know--that he can count on the skill and readiness of service men and 
women at every point in the chain of command. You have given me that 
confidence.
    And I give you these commitments. The wound to this building will 
not be forgotten, but it will be repaired. Brick by brick, we will 
quickly rebuild the Pentagon. In the missions ahead for the military, 
you will have everything you need, every resource, every weapon, every 
means to assure full victory for the United States and the cause of 
freedom.
    And I pledge to you that America will never relent on this war 
against terror. There will be times of swift, dramatic action. There 
will be times of steady, quiet progress. Over

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time, with patience and precision, the terrorists will be pursued. They 
will be isolated, surrounded, cornered, until there is no place to run 
or hide or rest.
    As military and civilian personnel in the Pentagon, you are an 
important part of the struggle we have entered. You know the risks of 
your calling, and you have willingly accepted them. You believe in our 
country, and our country believes in you.
    Within sight of this building is Arlington Cemetery, the final 
resting place of many thousands who died for our country over the 
generations. Enemies of America have now added to these graves, and they 
wish to add more. Unlike our enemies, we value every life, and we mourn 
every loss.
    Yet we're not afraid. Our cause is just and worthy of sacrifice. Our 
Nation is strong of heart, firm of purpose. Inspired by all the courage 
that has come before, we will meet our moment, and we will prevail.
    May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 11:55 a.m. outside the Pentagon.