DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001:

“18 years ago today, our nation was attacked and nearly 3,000 people were murdered. The horrific images of 9/11 are ingrained in our nation’s memory: falling towers, rising smoke, grieving faces desperately searching for their loved ones amid the rubble. But just as indelible as these horrors are the images of hope and heroism: first responders carrying the injured; Good Samaritans, like the man in the red bandana, risking their safety and even giving their lives to help others; valiant passengers on Flight 93 fighting to protect their fellow Americans; three firefighters raising our nation’s flag above Ground Zero and sending a message to the world that terrorism will never triumph.

“Today, we affirm that message once more. We recognize the courage of the first responders who saved so many, and all of the heroes who have followed in their footsteps by answering our country’s call to serve. We recommit ourselves to the values that were attacked that day – life, liberty, equality, and justice for all. We honor the survivors and families whose strength reminds our nation every day that out of many we are one. And we pay tribute to the lives we lost – in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania – by holding them forever in our hearts.”