Obama: Terror attacks 'brought out best'

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said the terrorists who attacked America 10 years ago are "no match for our resilience" and that the country has grown stronger.

"The perpetrators of those attacks wanted to terrorize us, but they are no match for our resilience," Obama wrote in an opinion piece appearing in USA Today Thursday.

"Today, our country is more secure and our enemies are weaker. Yet while we have delivered justice to Osama bin Laden and put al-Qaida on the path to defeat, we must never waver in the task of protecting our nation."

Obama called on Americans to seek the "sense of common purpose" that united the country after the attacks.

He recalled he and his wife, Michelle, talking to their children, Malia and Sasha, neither of whom could remember Sept. 11, 2001, because they were so young.

"One of the things we've told them is that the worst terrorist attack in American history also brought out the best in our country," Obama wrote.

"Firefighters, police and first responders rushed into danger to save others. Americans came together in candlelight vigils, in our houses of worship and on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Volunteers lined up to give blood and drove across the country to lend a hand. Schoolchildren donated their savings. Communities, faith groups and businesses collected food and clothing. We were united, as Americans."

He praised U.S. military members "who have borne an extraordinary burden for our security and our values" in the past decade.

"Let's never forget the lesson we learned anew 10 years ago -- that our differences pale beside what unites us and that when we choose to move forward together, as one American family, the United States doesn't just endure, we can emerge from our tests and trials stronger than before," Obama wrote. "That's the America we were on 9/11 and in the days that followed."