Nearly a decade and a half after one of the greatest atrocities to ever occur on American soil, we pause with solemn hearts today to mark the 14th observance of Patriot Day.

Established by a joint resolution of Congress on Dec. 18, 2001, and designated a “National Day of Service and Remembrance” by Congress on April 21, 2009, Patriot Day is set aside to honor the nearly 3,000 innocents who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The events of that day and the aftermath that followed demonstrated both the best and the worst that humankind has to offer. The brutal hatred that led several deranged individuals to commit such heinous acts was overshadowed in the days that followed by an overwhelming outpouring of love and support from all corners of the globe. The world mourned as Americans collectively began to pick up the pieces, unified in spirit as never before. We cried together, prayed together and sought answers together. Yet while it was a time of unprecedented national grief, American resolve had rarely been on such full display.

For many of us, life has long since returned to normal since that fateful Tuesday morning, while for others life will never be the same. Regardless, all of us who are of age remember where we were, who we were with and how we felt the moment we learned we had come under attack. All these years later, it is right and good to have those memories, and those emotions, rekindled.

And we are reminded once again that, although there is much evil in this world, while at times tested the inherent goodness of the American spirit shall continue to prevail.