Obama, 9/11 Families, Rescuers and Survivors Dedicate Museum

“Here at this Memorial, this Museum, we come together," said President Barack Obama. "We stand in the footprints of two mighty towers, graced by the rush of eternal waters. We look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls... Here, we tell their story so that generations yet unborn will never forget."

President Obama and 9/11 families, 9/11 rescue and recovery workers, active duty first responders, survivors and lower Manhattan residents and business owners attended the Dedication Ceremony for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on May 15, 2014.

“Those we lost live on in us in the families who love them still, in the friends who remember them always and in a nation that will honor them now and forever,” Obama said. "I think all who come here will find it to be a profound and moving experience." 

The 9/11 Memorial Museum "dedication marks a historic moment, and sharing this institution first with those so deeply a part of 9/11 history is a tremendous honor for all involved in the Museum’s creation,” said 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels. “Thank you to the thousands of men and women who have made this Museum a reality."

See images from the ceremony here

Following the ceremony, a Dedication Period, which includes opportunities for members of the 9/11 community to preview the Museum before its public opening, will begin at 6 p.m. May 15, 2014. The Museum's doors will remain open for 24 hours through May 20, 2014, serving as a small tribute to the thousands of Ground Zero rescue and recovery workers who worked around the clock in the aftermath of 9/11 as the city, the nation and the world supported them.

“The Museum tells heartbreaking stories of unimaginable loss, but also inspiring stories of courage and compassion,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, Chairman of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Philanthropist and Mayor of New York City from 2002-2013. “Its opening honors the commitment we made to 9/11 family members and to all future generations: That we would never forget those we lost or the terrible lessons we learned that day. So many people from across the country and around the world made the Museum possible -- including New York City school children who donated their pennies -- and they all have my deepest gratitude."

The Museum opens to the public on May 21, 2014. To plan your visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, please click here.