| September 11 Remembered |
Remarks by Ambassador William S. Farish at the Grosvenor Square Remembrance Ceremony for the Victims of September 11, 2001
September 11, 2002
(as prepared for delivery)
We gather here this morning to remember more than 3,000 people, citizens of more than 80 countries, who were lost to us one year ago today.
We pay tribute to their memories, and to the families and friends who keep those memories alive. We pray that they all may find peace.
We gather here today in solidarity - united in our determination to wipe terrorism from the face of the earth.
This solidarity emerged from our shock at the horror and devastation at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in a Pennsylvania field. This solidarity endures because of our common belief that all human life is dear, and based on our common vision of a world in which people no longer live in fear.
We gather here today to say thank you, again, to all those who rushed to our aid in America's darkest hour, and to all those who have stood firmly by our side ever since.
Our thanks go first and foremost to the government and people of the United Kingdom - America's truest friends.
Britain lost so many lives on September 11th - more than any other country aside from the United States.
And yet you and so many others came forward, in the tens of thousands, to offer every possible kind of support - from beds for American travelers stranded here, to counseling for survivors over there; from fire companies and congregations that held fund-raisers, to a small schoolboy who offered me his pocket money, right here in the square, "to help children in America."
We grieved together here in Grosvenor Square, where the notes and flowers wrote a new chapter in this square's long history at the heart of the great Anglo-American friendship.
My friends, I speak on behalf of Americans both here and at home: We will never forget your sympathy; your empathy; your moral, emotional and practical support. We continue to draw strength from your constancy.
It will take much more than a year for the wounds of September 11th, 2001, to heal.
And it will be a long time as well before our struggle against terror is over. But as we face the long and difficult road still ahead, we are proud, and grateful as ever, to have you by our side.
Thank you.
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