Obama lauds national unity in weekly address as September 11 anniversary approaches

On that clear September morning, as America watched the towers fall, and the Pentagon burn, and the wreckage smoldering in a Pennsylvania field, we were filled with questions. Where had the attacks come from, and how would America respond? Would they fundamentally weaken the country we love? Would they change who we are?

The last decade has been a difficult one, but together, we have answered those questions and come back stronger as a nation.

With the 11th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center coming up, President Barack Obama used the occasion of this morning's weekly address to reflect on the changes we have undergone as a nation since that fateful day. After lauding American military service members, first responders and citizens who have come together since 2001, the president was careful to distinguish between those who attacked us and the rest of the Islamic world:

Instead of turning on each other, we've resisted the temptation to give in to mistrust and suspicion. I have always said that America is at war with al Qaeda and its affiliates ' and we will never be at war with Islam or any other religion.  We are the United States of America.  Our freedom and diversity make us unique, and they will always be central to who we are as a nation.

He closed with a solemn salute to continued spirit of the American people:

And finally, instead of turning inward with grief, we've honored the memory of those we lost by giving back to our communities, serving those in need, and reaffirming the values at the heart of who we are as a people.  That's why we mark September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.  Because we are one American family.  And we look out for each other ' not just on the difficult days, but every day.

Eleven years later, that's the legacy of 9/11 ' the ability to say with confidence that no adversary and no act of terrorism can change who we are.  We are Americans, and we will protect and preserve this country we love.  On this solemn anniversary, let's remember those we lost, let us reaffirm the values they stood for, and let us keep moving forward as one nation and one people.

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.