Although Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaeda still remains a threat, the secretary said. We continue to fight them in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa. We will continue to fight them where ever they go.
Roger Vogel
STONYCREEK TWP — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta came to the Flight 93 National Memorial on Monday to honor and pay tribute to those who died on Sept. 11, 2001 and to their families.
"I want to extend the nation's deepest gratitude to the heroes of Flight 93 and their families," he said. "They responded with selflessness, determination and tremendous courage. They were successful in preventing an attack on the U.S. Capitol."
And Panetta was in the Capitol on that fateful day, he said. This was his first visit to the site where the crew and passengers of Flight 93 overpowered the hijackers and sent an airliner crashing into the countryside instead of its intended target. He had planned to come last year, but his trip was canceled because of the weather.
Panetta was the second defense secretary to visit the site. Donald H. Rumsfeld came in March 2006, which was before the memorial was completed. Panetta was escorted by Dennis Reidenbach, regional director of the Northeast Region of the National Park Service; Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of the Flight 93 site; Patrick White, president of the Families of Flight 93; Gordon Felt, past-president; and several other members of the Families of Flight 93.
The 40 heroes of Flight 93 continue to inspire our nation, Panetta said. Since that day, millions of American men and women in uniform have stepped forward to serve. Like the heroes of Flight 93, they put their lives on the line for our country. We gather at the memorial to renew our pledge to those who died on Sept. 11.
"We will remain forever vigilant to threats against our homeland," he said. "Nobody attacks America and gets away with it."
Although Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaeda still remains a threat, the secretary said. We continue to fight them in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa. We will continue to fight them where ever they go.
"I pray, as we remember 9-11 and the terrible things that took place, that we take the time to remind ourselves of the sacrifices made by those who fought and died on those days and since then," Panetta said. "Every day, they are fighting to make sure that this country is protected. That is the spirit that was reflected in the heroes of Flight 93. They charged ahead, knowing they were making the sacrifice and it is that sacrifice that makes this country strong and we damn well will remember that every day."
Following his visit, Felt said Panetta gave each of the Families represented the defense secretary's "coin," the medallion he hands out to troops he meets in combat zones.
"We're thrilled the secretary was here representing the administration today to honor the 40 heroes," Felt said. He comes back to the site to feel closer to his brother, Edward Felt, who was one of the passengers. "I feel a sense of peace here. It is important that the Families continue to be a driving force in the completion of the memorial."
White said that the secretary asked the same kinds of questions that the typical visitor asks upon seeing the memorial. He escorted Panetta to the boulder that marks the impact site. White said he knew that the secretary wanted to spend time there in quiet reflection to pay his respects to the heroes, and so he stepped back.
"He said things we will all cherish and remember," White said. "The 40 heroes' actions were worthy of being remembered forever. The secretary said he visited a lot of places, but few like this have had such a moving impact on it."
origin:
http://articles.dailyamerican.com/2012-09-10/news/33744448_1_panetta-somalia-and-north-africa-jeff-reinbold
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