Following is a transcript of President Obama\'s remarks on Friday morning at a ceremony remembering the victims of the Sept.11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as released by the White House.
THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and members of the Armed Forces, fellow Americans, family and friends of those that we lost this day -- Michelle and I are deeply humbled to be with you.
Eight Septembers have come and gone.Nearly 3,000 days have paed -- almost one for each of those taken from us.But no turning of the seasons can diminish the pain and the lo of that day.No paage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment.
So on this solemn day, at this sacred hour, once more we pause.Once more we pray -- as a nation and as a people; in city streets where our two towers were turned to ashes and dust; in a quiet field where a plane fell from the sky; and here, where a single stone of this building is still blackened by the fires.
We remember with reverence the lives we lost.We read their names.We pre their photos to our hearts.And on this day that marks their death, we recall the beauty and meaning of their lives; men and women and children of every color and every creed, from acro our nation and from more than 100 others.They were innocent.Harming no one, they went about their daily lives.Gone in a horrible instant, they now \"dwell in the House of the Lord forever.\"
We honor all those who gave their lives so that others might live, and all the survivors who battled burns and wounds and helped each other rebuild their lives; men and women who gave life to that most simple of rules: I am my brother\'s keeper; I am my sister\'s keeper.
We pay tribute to the service of a new generation -- young Americans raised in a time of peace and plenty who saw their nation in its hour of need and said, \"I choose to serve\"; \"I will do my part.\" And once more we grieve.For you and your families, no words can ease the ache of your heart.No deeds can fill the empty places in your homes.But on this day and all that follow, you may find solace in the memory of those you loved, and know that you have the unending support of the American people.
Scripture teaches us a hard truth.The mountains may fall and the earth may give way; the flesh and the heart may fail.But after all our suffering, God and grace will \"restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.\" So it is -- so it has been for these families.So it must be for our nation.
Let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and who plot against us still.In defense of our nation we will never waver; in pursuit of al Qaeda and its extremist allies, we will never falter.
Let us renew our commitment to all those who serve in our defense -- our courageous men and women in uniform and their families and all those who protect us here at home.Mindful that the work of protecting America is never finished, we will do everything in our power to keep America safe.
Let us renew the true spirit of that day.Not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good.Not the desire to destroy, but the impulse to save, and to serve, and to build.On this first National Day of Service and Remembrance, we can summon once more that ordinary goodne of America -- to serve our communities, to strengthen our country, and to better our world.
Most of all, on a day when others sought to sap our confidence, let us renew our common purpose.Let us remember how we came together as one nation, as one people, as Americans, united not only in our grief, but in our resolve to stand with one another, to stand up for the country we all love.
This may be the greatest leon of this day, the strongest rebuke to those who attacked us, the highest tribute to those taken from us -- that such sense of purpose need not be a fleeting moment.It can be a lasting virtue.
For through their own lives –- and through you, the loved ones that they left behind –- the men and women who lost their lives eight years ago today leave a legacy that still shines brightly in the darkne, and that calls on all of us to be strong and firm and united.That is our calling today and in all the Septembers still to come.
May God ble you and comfort you.And may God ble the United States of America.
以下是白宫审定发布的美国总统奥巴马周五早上在纪念9·11恐怖袭击事件八周年上的讲话的文字稿。
奥巴马：盖茨部长、马伦上将和军队的代表们、各位同仁。我和米歇尔和你们一样怀念那些在这一天离我们而去的家人和朋友们。
时间已经走过了八个春秋，3000多天换换过去，向每一个寻常的日子一样。但是那一天带给我们我们的痛苦和悲伤并没有随着季节的更迭而减少，时间的流逝和天空的昏暗都不能黯淡这一刻的意义。
在这庄严的日子，在这个神圣的时刻，让我们再一次停顿一下。我们再一次祈祷——作为美利坚民族也作为他的子民们；在这条双子塔变成废墟的大街上；在飞机坠落过的的宁静的土地上；抑或在这里，每一块石头上都有被大火烧过的痕迹的这废墟上。
让我们记住并且敬畏那些逝去的生命们。我们大声读出他们的名字，将他们的照片嵌入我们的心里。在这个标志着他们逝去的日子里，我们重新回味他们生命的美丽和意义：不管他们是男是女抑或是孩子，也不管他们是什么肤色或者信仰，他们来自全国各地和其他100多个国家，他们都是无辜的；他们不会伤害任何人，他们只不过在一天天平凡地过。在那个可怕的瞬间，他们消失了，而现在“他们永远和主同住”。
我们尊重那些为了别人的生命而献身的人们；我们同样尊重那些在烈火中互相搀扶的不屈的幸存者们；他们用生命实践了最简单的信条：我是我的兄弟姐妹的守护人。
我们赞扬美国的新一代，当这些在和平年代长大的年轻人看到他们的国家需要帮助的时候，他们毅然选择了“我选择服务”、“我会尽我的职责”。让我们再一次哀悼，对于你和你的家庭来说，任何话语都抹不去你们心头的痛楚，任何行动都填平不了你们的家庭的损失。但是从今以后，那些你爱的人将会心存安慰，你知道全国的人民也会给你无尽的支持。
圣经告诉我们这个坚定不移的真理：即使山崩地裂、心灰意冷，当你经受过这些苦难之后，上帝的恩典“将会让你重生，让你强壮，让你坚韧，让你坚强。”这不仅仅是对那些家庭来说的，同样也针对我们的民族。
让我们重申我们对那些犯下这些野蛮行径和对抗我们的人的决心。我们绝对不会放松对基地组织和他的盟友们的防御和打击，从不动摇。
让我们重申我们对那些服务于国防事业的国民们和他们的家庭，他们一直保卫着我们的家园。鉴于保卫祖国的任务将永远不会终结，我们将尽一切力量保卫美利坚的安国。
让我们重申这一天的意义。不是人性的邪恶，而是人性中对善良的追求；不是人类的破坏欲，而是对拯救、奉献和建设的追求。在第一个全国奉献和纪念日里，我们再一次因为美利坚的善良联合在一起，一起服务我们的社会，让我们的祖国更加强大，让我们的世界更加美好。
最重要的是在这个有人试图削弱我们信心的日子里，我们要更加坚定我们的目标。让我们记住我们是如何团结起来成为一个民族、成为人民、成为合众国的公民，我们并不只是为了悲悯联合在一起，而是因为我们的信念一致，对这个国家充满爱。
这可能是我们今天最大的收获，对那些攻击我们的人抱以最强烈的谴责，对那些美德抱以最热烈的赞扬。这个收获不止是一时的，而是一个持久的美德。
那些在8年前逝去的人们——不管是对于他们自己，还是对那些他们所爱的人——他们遗留下来的是一段在黑暗中依然闪耀的传奇，
他们感召着我们要更加强大、更加坚韧、更加团结，不仅是在今天，同样在那些即将到来的九月。
愿上帝保佑和安慰你们，愿上帝保佑合众国。
