The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a statement commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, which killed 2,977 Americans and led to the department's founding.
On that Tuesday 25 years ago, 19 members of the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners. American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon in Virginia. A fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back against the hijackers. Thousands more were injured.
Following the attacks, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was signed into law, ordering the creation of a new Cabinet-level agency dedicated to homeland security. DHS was created on March 1, 2003, with a mission to defend the homeland, the American people, and our way of life.
"On this day 25 years ago, our world changed forever. 9/11 remains one of the darkest days in history. Evil came to our shores and stole the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans in a vicious attempt to bring our great nation to its knees," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
"But by the end of that day, even as smoke still filled the skies over New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the American spirit endured and rose to the challenge," Mullin said, praising first responders and the civilians aboard Flight 93 who fought back.
Mullin said the country must "never forget" the nearly 3,000 who lost their lives, the potential for evil to strike again, and how "only the devotion of the good can keep all of us safe."
"That is why, 25 years later, our mission continues," he said, noting DHS was created to ensure something like 9/11 never happens again. He said it is his honor to serve as the 9th Secretary of Homeland Security alongside more than 260,000 employees.