Remembering 9/11
September 11, 2011 

Dear Friends, 

Ten years ago, our nation’s shock and fear in the wake of the September 11 attacks was soon supplanted by compassion and unity. It is this spirit of solidarity we reaffirm and remember today. Today, we honor those who lost their lives ten years ago – thousands of innocent people from different faiths and walks of life. 

September 11, 2001 was a tragic day. But from that tragedy, we came together as a nation. We set aside partisan differences, geographic differences, economic differences, and religious differences to come together as Americans. 

We saw first responders – firefighters and police officers – walk into smoke and fire to save those whom they swore to protect and serve. When first responders were needed, Ohio’s own Task Force 1 quickly answered the call. 

We saw teachers serve as counselors, comforting a child’s fear – answering questions with no clear answers. And we saw our service members deploy to fight Al Qaeda. 

During the past ten years, our nation has faced great challenges. We have been forced to confront the nature of war and peace, of liberty and security, and of economic prosperity and opportunity. We have been asked whether our nation’s character remains grounded in a common cause of compassion, care, and equality. 

The answer is clear. Our nation is the exemplar of democracy – a free people who shook out tyranny in favor of equality, freedom, and opportunity. 

Our freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion define our strength – as a nation and as a people. Throughout our history, we have shown our capacity to be a generous society based on a sense of community – reflected in our places of worship or through our charities and volunteerism. 

It is this spirit of faith, love, and solidarity we reaffirm today. September 11 is a National Day of Service and Remembrance because it reminds us that we all have the capacity to serve – regardless of education or job experience, privilege or accomplishment. 

But together, we still look to heroes in our communities. We still see our firefighters and police officers walking into danger. We see our service members fighting al-Qaeda overseas. We see our teachers and parents comforting the fear of a child. 

On this day of remembrance, we still remain humbled by the generosity of our people and the enduring strength of our nation. 

Sherrod Brown

U.S. Senator