"The American ideal of human dignity and freedom is the hope of all mankind. That hope drew millions to this harbor. That hope still lights our way, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it."

President George W. Bush, Ellis Island, New York, September 11, 2002

"Take our scars and make of them stars of hope and peace. Help us to use our tears as teaching instruments of faith, hope, and love."

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., Cleveland, September 11, 2002.

Message on the 1st Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 By Dalai Lama
The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were deeply shocking and very sad. I regard such terrible destructive actions as acts of hatred, for violence is the result of destructive emotions. Events of this kind make clear that if we allow our human intelligence to be guided and controlled by negative emotions like hatred, the consequences are disastrous. Full message.

One Moment In Time
September 11, 2002 will mark the first anniversary of September 11, 2001. We all have memories that come rushing back to that eventful day and that exact moment, myself included. My daughter, Stacey, was in NYC that day. It was her first trip to NY, she had been there 5 days and was to board the airplane at 6:30 the evening of September 11 returning home to Charlotte, NC. It didn't happen that way. Full Story.

A Father's Tears
It has been one year since Edward Medwig's 46-year-old daughter, Deborah, died on United Airlines Flight 175, a victim of the terrorist attack. But the crying hasn't stopped. Ed wrote this note to his daughter. Read More.

I Am With You Still: Victim's Daughter Reads Poem To Dad 
Benjamin Keefe Clark of Brooklyn was a chef on the 96th floor of the trade center and was last seen helping a woman in a wheelchair on the 88th floor on September 11, 2001. At Ground Zero on September 11, 2002, 11-year-old Brittany Clark, daughter of Benjamin, read a tribute to her father. Story.

Stay with me, God. A Soldier's Prayer
This poem/prayer was blown into a slit trench in Tunisia during a heavy bombardment in the early days of World War II.

America the Beautiful
The full text of Katherine Lee Bates' immortal classic.