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Sen. Cruz Commemorates 20 Years Since the September 11th Terrorist Attacks

We will never forget the act of war this nation faced on September 11 2001 and we shall never forget the honor and sacrifice of everyone who served over the last two decades and everyone who is serving now who continues to keep this nation safe

HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today released a video statement commemorating 20 years since the September 11th terrorist attacks. Read excerpts of his remarks below.

"On this day, 20 years ago, America suffered the worst terrorist attack in our history. On this day, radical Islamic terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 Americans. Every one of us who was old enough to know what was happening that day remembers exactly where he or she was the moment of those attacks."

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"This was a deliberate act of war, a deliberate act of mass murder. The images of that day are seared in the hearts of millions of Americans. The images of people leaping to their death from the Twin Towers, the images of the towers collapsing, and a giant rain of rubble and smoke. The image of the Pentagon smoldering with fire.

"Heidi and I were living less than a mile from the Pentagon at the time, the smell of the air, the agony of a nation that realized we were under attack. We also remember the unity, how we came together. For a moment in time, there were no Republicans or Democrats. There were no red states or blue states. We were America. We remember celebrating, seeing a president standing atop the rubble in New York City, telling everyone that America hears you and soon the entire world is going to hear you. For the next two decades, we saw men and women step forward and answer the call, volunteer to serve to protect this country to keep us safe. We had servicemen and women in harm's way, in Afghanistan, in Iraq. Thousands lost their lives; many thousands more were gravely injured.

"Today, on this tragic anniversary. I want to take the opportunity to thank every single man and woman who answered the call, who served, who took the oath to defend this nation. I want to thank every soldier, every sailor, every airman, and every Marine, every guardsman, every American who said, ‘I will sacrifice to keep our nation safe.' This past month has been deeply painful for millions of Americans as we've watched the disaster unfolding in Afghanistan. Today, we should take the opportunity to say thank you. Thank you to those brave servicemen and women who risked everything to keep us safe. And to some of them who are wondering, was it worth it? Was my sacrifice worth it? Let me say yes. Your service was worth it. Your service made a difference. Your service saved American lives. It deterred terrorists, and it kept this country safe."

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"This is a date that shall live in infamy. We'll never forget the act of war this nation faced on September 11, 2001, and we shall never forget the honor and sacrifice of everyone who served over the last two decades, and everyone who is serving now who continues to keep this nation safe, to defend the constitution, to defend the lives of our brothers and sisters, and to defend the country we love so much the United States of America. Thank you."

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