prayers
that
have
lifted
my
spirits.
And
I
thank
you
for
the
countless
acts
of
courage，generosity，and
grace
that
I
have
witnessed
these
past
eight
years.
This
evening，my
thoughts
return
to
the
first
night
I
addressed
you
from
this
house-September
11，2001.
That
morning，terrorists
took
nearly
3，000
lives
in
the
worst
attack
on
America
since
Pearl
Harbor.
I
remember
standing
in
the
rubble
of
the
World
Trade
Center
three
days
later，surrounded
by
rescuers
who
had
been
working
around
the
clock.
I
remember
talking
to
brave
souls
who
charged
through
smoke-filled
corridors
at
the
Pentagon
and
to
husbands
and
wives
whose
loved
ones
became
heroes
aboard
Flight
93.
I
remember
Arlene
Howard，who
gave
me
her
fallen
son’s
police
shield
as
a
reminder
of
all
that
was
lost.
And
I
still
carry
his
badge.
As
the
years
passed，most
Americans
were
able
to
return
to
life
much
as
it
had
been
before
Nine-Eleven.
But
I
never
did.
Every
morning，I
received
a
briefing
on
the
threats
to
our
Nation.
And
I
vowed
to
do
everything
in
my
power
to
keep
us
safe.
Over
the
past
seven
years，a
new
Department
of
Homeland
Security
has
been
created.
The
military，the
intelligence
community，and
the
FBI
have
been
transformed.
Our
Nation
is
equipped
with
new
tools
to
monitor
the
terrorists’
movements，freeze
their
finances，and
break
up
their
plots.
And
with
strong
allies
at
our
side，we
have
taken
the
fight
to
the
terrorists
and
those
who
support
them.
Afghanistan
has
gone
from
a
nation
where
the
Taliban
harbored
al
Qaeda
and
stoned
women
in
the
streets
to
a
young
democracy
that
is
fighting
terror
and
encouraging
girls
to
go
to
school.
Iraq
has
gone
from
a
brutal
dictatorship
and
a
sworn
enemy
of
America
to
an
Arab
democracy
at
the
heart
of
the
Middle
East
and
a
friend
of
the
United
States.
There
is
legitimate