WASHINGTON –  DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile issued the following statement commemorating the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks:

“Fifteen years ago, nearly three thousand lives were taken from us in the September 11 terrorist attacks. As we commemorate the lives of those lost, as we hold their families in our thoughts and prayers, and as we celebrate the fallen heroes and first responders who rushed in to help on that terrible day, we must also recommit ourselves to preserving and protecting the ideals that have made our nation great.

“Those ideals were also under attack that Tuesday morning. The terrorists wanted to cause more than death and destruction – they hoped to spread fear and division, and to shake the very foundation of our free society.

“But our resolve never wavered. No act of terror can break the steadfast bonds of our union. Hope conquers fear. And the hope and love that Americans of every race, creed, color and religion, carry in our hearts for our neighbors and our nation will always triumph. Our United States of America endures.”