WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following remarks in advance of the 21^st anniversary of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001:

21 years ago today, al-Qaeda unleashed an unspeakable evil intended to strike fear in the heart of our nation.

The 9/11 attacks left nearly 3,000 Americans dead, families upended, and lives changed forever.

It was the worst attack on our nation since Pearl Harbor.

And yet, the evil that the terrorists thought would cripple us only revealed our true strength.

We all remember the heroism of the first responders and the volunteers. School children and the average citizens across America raised money to support grieving families.

And we remember the courage of our troops, who within weeks had al-Qaeda terrorists on the run – and whose persistent efforts over the years would bring countless terrorists to justice -- evil men like Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.

And we’ve bolstered our national defense with thousands of national security professionals who now have the tools they need to make sure nothing like that day ever happens again.

We will never forget 9/11.