President Obama encouraged Americans to stand by “our character as a nation” during remarks at the Pentagon on Sunday to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
“The question before us, as always, is how do you preserve the legacy of those who we lost,” Obama told victims’ families and service members gathered at the 9/11 memorial just outside Washington, D.C.
“It is so important today that we reaffirm our character as a nation, of people drawn from every corner of the world, every color, every religion, every background,” he said. “Bound by a creed as old as our founder: out of many, we are one.”
“For we know that our diversity, our patchwork heritage is not a weakness, it is still and always will be one of our greatest strengths,” the president continued. “In the end, the most enduring memorial to those we lost is ensuring the America that we continue to be.”
While the U.S. faces new terror threats from radical jihadist groups like the Islamic State, Obama said Americans should resist fear.
“We will preserve our freedoms and the way of life that makes us a beacon to the world,” he told those gathered Sunday morning. “We have the opportunity each and every day to live up to the sacrifice of those heroes that we lost.”
