… and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2023
[Portions of the proclamation signed by President Biden on September 8, 2023]
By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has designated September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day,” and by Public Law 111-13, approved April 21, 2009, the Congress has requested the observance of September 11 as an annually recognized “National Day of Service and Remembrance.”
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Today we remember all the heroes who were forged in the hours, days, and years that followed that terrible morning of September 11, 2001 — ordinary Americans who, amidst the terror, smoke, and flames, demonstrated extraordinary courage and selflessness. Together, their bravery helped prove to our Nation and the world that what those terrorists most hoped to wound could never be broken: the character of our Nation.
In the crucible that was September 11th, we saw just how deep that character goes. We saw it in the civilians, service members, and first responders who leapt into action that day, running into the searing flames and crumbling buildings — risking and losing their own lives to save others. We saw it in the incredible courage and resolve of the passengers on board Flight 93, who refused to let their plane be used as a weapon against more innocent Americans. We saw it in the police officers and firefighters who returned to the twisted steel and broken concrete slabs of Ground Zero and the Pentagon for months — breathing in toxins and ash that would damage their own health but nonetheless refusing to stop searching through the destruction. And we saw it in the millions of Americans across our country who responded to the September 11th attacks by signing up to defend our Constitution and join the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.
In honor of all the lives we lost 22 years ago — and in honor of all the heroes who have given their whole souls to the cause of this Nation every moment since — may today not only be observed with solemn remembrance but also with renewal and resolve. And I invite all Americans to observe this day with service … Together, may we continue to demonstrate that the rights and freedoms that those terrorists sought to destroy on September 11, 2001, remain unwavering — strengthened by generations of Americans who have dared all and risked all to defend, protect, and preserve our democracy.
