Today we pause to remember again the sacrifices made by ordinary Americans thrust into extraordinary situations eight years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. Almost 3,000 died in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in a Pennsylvania field, as terrorists launched an attack on our way of life.

Most of us will remember where we were when we heard about the attacks. Some were watching on television as planes flew into the World Trade Center. Some were serving in our nation’s military on highest alert following the attacks. We remember the passengers on United Flight 93 who rose up to stop hijackers from flying their plane into the Capitol in Washington.

Wherever you were on 9/11, even those who survived to watch from afar were victims of the attacks. The real target was the American spirit. The terrorists thought they could deal a blow not only to our buildings and to thousands of American citizens, but to our identity as a nation.

We responded then, launching the Global War on Terror. We took the fight to the enemy where he was, moving the battlefield from Main Street America to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq. We declared that the fight was not a simple law enforcement matter, but a military matter, and we have kept up the pressure against terrorists everywhere.

So while we stop today to remember 9/11, let us not forget our commitment to the heroes of that day, and let us persevere and prevail, together, as Americans.