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"I Will Not Relent," Bush Vows
Monday, March 11, 2002
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

More than 1,000 people gathered on a chilly Monday morning on the White House South Lawn for a six-month remembrance of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Members from 29 coalition nations in the worldwide fight against terrorism, more than 120 ambassadors, members of Congress, the Bush Cabinet, Supreme Court and armed forces also attended. Speeches supporting the U.S. fight against terrorism were delivered by Nigerian Ambassador Jibril Aminu and South Korean Ambassador Sung Chul Yang. “We have come together to mark a terrible day, to reaffirm a just and vital cause, and to thank the many nations that share our resolve and will share our common victory,” President George W. Bush told the large gathering.
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Image Credit: Rudi Williams -- AFIS.
"Victory will come over time as that network is patiently and steadily dismantled, he said. "We will not send the American troops to every battle, but America will actively prepare other nations for the battles ahead."

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
America's war on terror is "not just a policy, it's a pledge," George W. Bush declared today at a White House memorial marking six months since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"I will not relent in this struggle for the freedom and security of my country and the civilized world," the president vowed. History will know Sept. 11, 2001, "not only as a day of tragedy," he said, "but as the day the civilized world was stirred to anger and to action."

Terrorists will remember Sept. 11 "as the day their reckoning began," the president told about 300 attack survivors, along with victims' family members, and members of the U.S. Cabinet and Congress. "America will not forget the lives that were taken and the justice their death requires," Bush said. "Our resolve has only grown because we remember."

Representatives of the coalition nations taking part in the U.S.-led war on terrorism also attended the memorial. The flags of 170 nations flew on the South Lawn, representing what Bush called the "mighty coalition of civilized nations" that "is now defending our common security.

"We're proud to display their flags at the White House this morning," Bush said. He expressed the deepest gratitude on behalf of the American people for the contributions "these nations have made, some well known, others not."

In all, he said, 17 nations deployed forces to Central Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. More than half the forces now helping Afghan fighters and providing security in Kabul are from countries other than the United States. Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark and Germany sent teams to fight beside American and British special operations forces.
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2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

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