2006 Speeches

September 11 Fifth Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony - September 8, 2006

(L-R) U.S. Ambassador Robert J. Dieter, Mrs. Gwynneth A. Dieter, Mrs. Cathy Stevulack and Deputy Chief of Mission Leonard A. Hill

(Note: September 11th is St. George’s Caye Day, a national holiday, so the Embassy conducted its remembrance ceremony on Friday, September 8th.  The Belizean flag mentioned was recovered from the ruble of the WTC and is on display in the Museum of Belize).

Today is a time for remembrance.  Five years ago on September 11, 2001, civilization itself was attacked.  Freedom loving people experienced firsthand the darker nature of our world, and the course of history was profoundly altered.  Nineteen men orchestrated barbarous, unprovoked and cowardly attacks on American soil – flying two commercial airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Washington, DC – all in the name of their distorted ideology of hate, destruction and death.  A fourth plane, Flight 93, was intended for another target in Washington, DC, but courageous passengers onboard sacrificed their lives to prevent further tragedy and crashed the plane in a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  

The 2,973 people killed in these attacks were not only American citizens.  They included men and women from more than 90 different countries.  They were adherents of many faiths, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Two Belizean-Americans were victims that day:  Walwyn Wellington Stuart, Jr. and Alva Cynthia Jeffries Sanchez.   We are honored to have with us today Alva’s sister-in-law, Carla Jeffries, and her nephew, Trevor.

The Belize flag here on display was recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center and stands as a reminder of that morning.   Each of us can recall what happened – the pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, people falling from the towers in a desperate attempt to escape.  We remember our disbelief, our shock and sadness.  The victims in their offices, ordinary men and women going about their daily life – moms and dads, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors, rich and poor, native born and foreign born.  And, of course, the first responders who gave their lives attempting to rescue others.  We will always remember where we were and what we were doing.

As President Bush noted at the time terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity, but in doing so they declared war on all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.   People around the world have refused to live in fear and have instead joined together to combat the scourge of terrorism – and have continued to demonstrate their determination and resilience.  Despite the evil committed by the enemies of freedom, 911 stands as a tribute to the best of humanity - that even when tragedy strikes we will rise up to help one another, united every time. 

  Terrorist attacks in Madrid and Bali, the London bombings, the recently foiled plot to destroy planes flying from Europe demonstrate that 9-11 was not just an attack on America.   It is an attack on all who believe in free and open societies.  

Despite the best efforts of terrorists to disrupt our way of life, the resilience of freedom loving people around the world demonstrates that the goodness of the human spirit will always triumph over evil.  While the color of our skin, the language we speak, or the way we worship may differ, all freedom loving people share a common goal: to live peacefully side-by-side in security, to participate in and contribute to our societies, to pursue greater opportunities and to build better lives for ourselves and our loved ones. 

Terrorists use fear to pull people apart, to pit those of one religion against another, to pit those of one ethnic group against another, or to pit those of one political or economic ideology against another.  The terrorists behind the September 11 attacks succeeded in destroying buildings and killing thousands of people, but they have not been victorious:  we have not retreated, not cowered to their demands or hidden ourselves away, afraid to venture forth.  Instead, we move forward openly and in freedom.  At this time of remembrance, I believe this affirmation of the human spirit is the tribute that best honors the memory of Walwyn, Alva, and all other victims of terror.  

Thank you for attending this ceremony of remembrance.