President Barack Obama, flanked by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and Joint Chefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, speaks at the Pentagon, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.WASHINGTON - Six times, President Barack Obama has come before the American people to reckon with the legacy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the anniversary of that awful day. Each time, he has tailored his message to the moment, at different points stressing themes of service, resilience, tolerance, reconciliation.
This year, with the threat of the Islamic State militant group looming, Obama's rhetoric of remembrance is circling back to earlier days and striking a less triumphant tone. Even so, he offered reasons for optimism Thursday in brief remarks at the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial.
"Thirteen years after small and hateful minds conspired to break us, America stands tall and America stands proud," the president said.
He did not mention the administration's new plan to step up military and diplomatic action against the Islamic State group. Instead, he chose to remind Americans that "three months from now our combat mission in Afghanistan will come to an end."
But in an address to the nation about the terrorist threat a day ahead of the 9/11 anniversary, Obama acknowledged, "We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today."
He was speaking to a public that is increasingly worried about Islamic extremism. Six in 10 Americans now are very concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism around the world, the largest share since 2007, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center
"The picture of the United States winding down the war on terror has become harder to sell in the last couple of years," says Peter Feaver, a Duke University expert on war and public opinion. "The old rhetoric that we are just about to win the war on terror can't be sustained."
A few minutes before 9 a.m. EDT Thursday, Obama emerged from the White House with his wife, Michelle, and Vice President Joe Biden to observe a moment of silence marking the 13th anniversary of the attacks in New York; Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and at the Pentagon across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia.
The Obamas took part in a service project at a public charter school later in the day where, among other things, they helped fill backpacks with toys for distribution as birthday gifts to kids in a nearby homeless shelter. Biden, for his part, joined a group of volunteers at midday helping assemble care packages for first responders and U.S. troops.
A look back at how Obama has framed his 9/11 message over the years.