[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.

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    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

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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.