WASHINGTON—Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James released the following statement Friday in remembrance of the attacks on the American homeland on Sept. 11, 2001, 20 years ago tomorrow:   

“As we prepare to remember the horrific attacks on our country 20 years ago, I take stock of the past two decades, of all that we have won, and of all that we have lost. We have seen Americans come together in unity in our darkest hour, and we have watched our country shine as a beacon of freedom and hope like never before.  

 

“It has not come without tremendous, heartbreaking cost. Even as we have stood to defend our liberty, our values, and our way of life, thousands of our brothers and sisters have sacrificed their lives in that defense. They have kept terror at bay and America free. It’s a debt we can never repay. May we at least do everything we can to honor it. 

 

“Our world today has grown no less dangerous. Indeed, the threats we face multiply year by year. Evil does not sleep, and its forces do not rest.  

 

“However, the American people showed on Sept. 11, 2001, that we are resilient, and that no attack, no matter how dreadful or cowardly, can keep us down. At this moment in our nation’s history—not just on this day, but every day going forward—let us resolve to stand in unity against the forces that would divide and destroy us and say to the world that the United States may bend, but we will never, ever break.”