Yesterday we marked the anniversary of the events of 9/11. I hesitate to call it an anniversary, because it is not something we celebrate. Nonetheless, it is a defining event in our American history, one that changed our nation and changed us as individuals. It is an event that needs to be remembered not just because of the evil that caused it, but also because of the hope that resulted from it, the hope that we as the American people can unite together and a make our nation a better place to live.

"On September 11, 2001, the world fractured. It's beyond my skill as a writer to capture that day, and the days that would follow — the planes, like specters, vanishing into steel and glass; the slow-motion cascade of the towers crumbling into themselves; the ash-covered figures wandering the streets; the anguish and the fear. Nor do I pretend to understand the stark nihilism that drove the terrorists that day and that drives their brethren still. My powers of empathy, my ability to reach into another's heart, cannot penetrate the blank stares of those who would murder innocents with abstract, serene satisfaction." ~Barrack Obama

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.” ~President George W. Bush.

Our Founding Fathers were not cowards. They made immense sacrifices to establish this Great Nation in freedom—not the least of which was going to war with the enemy of that freedom. All of those who have fought in the subsequent wars and conflicts and those who are fighting today have continued to make sacrifices in order to defend those original ideals. Even now, our civil servants, particularly Firefighters and Police, are making sacrifices to maintain the quality of our lives in this freedom. So, Scouts, We are part of a great tradition; Building character, Service to our country and to our fellow man. I am so proud to be one of the leaders who is helping to guide you, and for what you will become in the future as you live out the Scout Oath and Law in your lives.