Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), who joined hundreds of New Jerseyans at the 9/11 "Empty Sky" Memorial Dedication in Liberty State Park, NJ, issued the following statement about the 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001:

    "The greatness of America shone brightly in the horrendous darkness that descended on New York City, Washington DC and United Flight 93.  When faced with adversity, first responders and ordinary citizens alike became heroes.  When challenged, all Americans displayed valor, courage and selflessness to help heal the suffering of fellow citizens.

    "The shock, horror and pain that survivors and loved ones of victims felt on that day has not diminished with time.  But in the decade since these supreme acts of cowardice, neither has America’s resolve.  Together, we channeled our sorrow into action and brought these murderous criminals to justice; reformed our homeland security mission to reflect the threats we face; and provided much needed healthcare services to first responders for injuries sustained during rescue operations.

    "These actions have moved our country forward and will hopefully prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again.  But we must remain diligent in searching for and implementing new means for responding to developing threats.  Our enemies are constantly searching for our vulnerabilities, and our ability to remain ahead of them is critical to our very survival.

    "Today we commemorate the anniversary of these attacks and reflect on the lessons learned over the past decade.  We as a nation extend our deepest sympathies to the friends, families and loved ones of those who lost their lives a decade ago, including more than 50 women and men from my own Congressional District in New Jersey.  We all must recognize the heroic service of our military, intelligence and diplomatic personnel, as well as their families, who have made and who continue to make extreme sacrifices—in many cases the ultimate sacrifice—to defend our country from further acts of terrorism.

    "On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, it is critically important that we – as a nation and as individuals – do not forget the actions that allowed our country to survive this horrendous event.  America’s foundational strength isn’t to be found in its military might or relative prosperity—but in our individual and collective faith in, and faithfulness to, God.