Pentagon employees pause to remember Sept. 11 victims
Like much of the nation, Pentagon employees paused today to remember those killed three months ago in terrorist attacks.
Standing in front of the section of the Pentagon that was badly damaged on Sept. 11 when a commercial airliner slammed into it, killing 184 Defense workers and passengers, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said it would be rebuilt as a symbol of American courage. As Rumsfeld spoke, cranes and workers wearing hard hats toiled behind him at the around-the-clock construction site that, just weeks ago, was a scene of devastation.
Rumsfeld proclaimed that the nation will honor its victims by ensuring that freedom triumphs over terror.
"Not all that long ago, there were those who asked, 'Where are our heroes?' They said there was no unifying spirit in America. Today, all can see that our spirit is strong. And the heroes, we don't have to look far to find them," said Rumsfeld, citing the countless stories of heroics from New York City and the Pentagon that surfaced following the attacks, as well as those on hijacked Flight 93 who fought the terrorists to prevent it from hitting another target.
Rumsfeld said those who died would be proud to see the country so united in fighting terror. "We will remember their lives, and retell their stories, again and again, so that neither the nation or the world will ever forget," he concluded.
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