President in New York: 'We Will Never Forget' : President Pays Respects At Ground Zero

President Obama on Thursday visited the Manhattan firehouse that sustained the heaviest losses in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and paid tribute to the "extraordinary sacrifice that was made on that terrible day almost 10 years ago."In comments preceding his visit to ground zero, where the president laid a wreath and visited with Sept. 11 victims' families, the president thanked New York firefighters for their services on 9/11 and beyond - and pledged that "you're always going to have a president and an administration who has got your back.""I wanted to just come up here to thank you," said Mr. Obama, who was joined by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9 fire station in Manhattan. "This is a symbolic site of the extraordinary sacrifice that was made on that terrible day almost 10 years ago. Obviously we can't bring back the friends that were lost, and I know that each and every one of you...grieves for them." The fire department, located in New York's theater district, lost 15 firefighters during the 9/11 attacks.The president pointed to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as proof of the fact that "when we say we will never forget, we mean what we say.""Our commitment to making sure that justice was done was something that transcended politics, transcended parties - it didn't matter which administration it was in, it didn't matter who was in charge, we were going to make sure that the perpetrators of that horrible act, that they received justice," he said.He continued: "So it's some comfort, I hope, for all of you to know that when those guys took those extraordinary risks going into Pakistan, that they were doing it in part because of the sacrifices that were made in this state."Mr. Obama also lauded the firefighters for their lesser-known acts of sacrifice."Although 9/11 obviously was a high watermark of courage for the New York Fire Department, and a symbol of the sacrifice, you guys are making sacrifices every single day - it doesn't get as much notoriety, it doesn't get as much attention, but every time you run into a burning building, every time that you are saving lives, you're making a difference - and that's part of what makes this city great," he said. "So I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart." CBC

President Pays Respects At Ground Zero