    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 36 (Monday, September 12, 2005)]
    [Pages 1369-1371]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor Award Ceremony

    September 9, 2005

        Thank you all very much. Thank you. Welcome to the White House.
    Laura and I are honored that you're here today. We recognize a group of
    Americans whose bravery and commitment to their fellow citizens showed
    us the true meaning of heroism.
        The 442 names you just heard belong to men and women of uncommon
    valor and decency and honor. On one of the worst days our country has
    ever witnessed, we witnessed the courage of some of the finest people
    our country has ever produced. And their sacrifice will always be
    remembered.
        I want to thank the Attorney General. I welcome Members of the
    United States Congress and the United States Senate who have joined us,
    Bill Frist, Senator Schumer, Congressman Fossella, Congressman Crowley--
    by the way, thank you for bringing your mother--Congressman Wolf,
    Congressman Smith, Congressman King, Congressman McCarthy, Congressman
    Israel.
        I want to thank Ray Kelly, the police commissioner for the great
    city of New York. I thank all the fire chiefs, police chiefs, Port
    Authority personnel. I particularly want to thank the men and women who
    are on the frontline of making us safe. Thank you all for coming today.
        The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor honors the public safety officers who
    gave their lives on September the 11th. On that day, firefighters,
    police officers, emergency medical technicians, Port Authority
    personnel, and other public safety officers performed their jobs with
    extraordinary distinction in the face of unspeakable terror.
        We're grateful to the families and friends who have come here to
    honor their memory. We know that the sense of loss you feel does not
    disappear with time. Four years later, you still miss your loved ones.
    America admires your courage in the face of such terrible pain. And your
    loved ones will always have the thanks and admiration and respect of a
    grateful nation.
        When America has been challenged, there has always been citizens
    willing to step forward and risk their lives for the rest of us. Over
    the last 11 days in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama, we have again
    seen acts of great compassion and extraordinary bravery from America's
    first-responders. Firefighters and police, and U.S. Coast Guard men and
    women, and National Guardsmen and active duty forces, disaster and
    medical assistance teams, search and rescue units from all over the
    United States have descended on the Gulf Coast to help the victims of
    Hurricane Katrina. They have faced the storm's destruction with valor
    and determination, and their hard work has saved lives in the face of
    great adversity.

    [[Page 1370]]

        We're still at the beginning of a huge effort. The tasks before us
    are enormous. Yet so is the heart of the United States. We're grateful
    to the emergency personnel who are working to assist victims and restore
    communities affected by this disaster. In these difficult days, we have
    again seen the great strength and character and resolve of America. And
    we will continue to work to help the people who are struggling.
        In every community, we depend on those who carry the badge, who keep
    the peace and protect our citizens. And in times of national crisis, all
    Americans are grateful to those who answer the alarms and run toward
    danger and provide urgent care. Those who place their own lives at risk
    for others must be recognized and honored by their fellow citizens.
        And 4 years ago, America saw the unparalleled heroism of our
    Nation's public safety officers. We lost brave rescue workers who gave
    their lives so that others could live. We lost many other citizens who
    assisted in the rescue efforts and whose courage and sacrifice that day
    made them extraordinary.
        On September the 11th, 2001, America lost Firefighter Donny Regan of
    Rescue Company 3 in Bronx. During his 17-year career with the New York
    City Fire Department, he was cited six times for bravery. And today our
    Nation honors Donny's final act of courage. His son, Peter, lost a
    father on September the 11th; today, he carries on his father's legacy.
    Peter followed his dad's footsteps to the fire department. Today, he is
    defending our freedom as a Reservist with the 3d Battalion, 25th Marine
    Regiment in Iraq.
        On September the 11th, 2001, America lost Firefighter Ronnie Gies of
    Squad 288 in Queens. Ronnie had been with the New York Fire Department
    since 1988. He rushed downtown to the World Trade Center. A video of the
    day showed Ronnie on his way into the towers. His wife says, ``You see
    him straight on, carrying equipment with such a look of determination.''
    His own son, Tommy, graduated from the FDNY Academy last August and is
    now a member of Ladder 147 in Brooklyn. And we're grateful for Tommy's
    courage and service.
        On September the 11th, 2001, America lost Senior Court Officer
    Thomas Jurgens, one of about 25 New York State Court officers who
    responded after the plane hit the first tower. Thomas' last radio
    transmission came from inside the burning tower, after he'd been warned
    to get out because the danger was too great. He refused to leave his
    post. His last words before signing off were, ``There are people here
    who need our help.''
        On September the 11th, 2001, America lost New York City Police
    Officer Moira Smith. Moira is remembered by friends for her fearless
    spirit on and off the job. She ran with the bulls in Spain. And in 1991,
    she ran into a subway tunnel to rescue dozens of people trapped in one
    of the worst subway accidents in New York history. On September the
    11th, 2001, she ran toward danger once again, into the burning towers of
    the World Trade Center. A broker she helped to safety remembers her
    steady blue eyes and her even voice. The next day's papers carried an
    image of Moira helping an injured man out of the tower, before she
    rushed back in to save others. And the tower collapsed around her. One
    of Moira's colleagues said, ``She could have saved herself, but nothing
    would have stopped her saving one more person.''
        These are some of the examples, only a few of the examples, of the
    extraordinary bravery that took place that day. All the brave men and
    women we recognize today brought credit to the uniform and honor to the
    United States of America.
        And one way our Nation can honor their sacrifice is to win the war
    on terror. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw the future that
    terrorists intend for us. And I made a decision. America will not wait
    to be attacked again. We will take the fight to the enemy, and we'll
    defend our freedom.
        And since that day we've taken the fight to the enemy. We're hunting
    down the terrorists in mountains in Afghanistan, in tribal regions of
    Pakistan, in the deserts of Iraq, and on islands of Southeast Asia, and
    the Horn of Africa. We're fighting the terrorists, and we're fighting
    their murderous ideology by spreading the hope of freedom across the
    broader Middle East. Free nations are peaceful nations, and by advancing
    freedom's

    [[Page 1371]]

    cause, we are laying the foundation of peace for our children and our
    grandchildren.
        We will succeed. And the legacy of peace and freedom we leave behind
    will be the greatest memorial to your fallen family members and friends.
        The heroes of September the 11th will not be here to see that day.
    But their moms and dads and children and grandchildren can know, a proud
    America will always stand in the long shadow of their service and
    sacrifice, and a proud nation will always remember them.
        May God bless you all, and may God forever bless the memories of
    those who sacrificed on behalf of our citizens.

    Note: The President spoke at 1 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House.