MIKE PENCE: Remember the fallen — and the generation that defended America since 9/11

Former Vice President Mike Pence marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a published reflection on the day he arrived at the Capitol shortly after the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

During a briefing in the Capitol Hill Police headquarters basement, then-Homeland Security Adviser Tom Ridge warned of certain further attacks, according to Pence. "The only thing we know for sure is that they want to hit us again, and they want to hit us worse," Ridge said.

Pence described a series of attacks before 2001: the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing (241 Americans killed), the 1988 Lockerbie bombing (270 dead, 190 U.S. citizens), the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (6 dead, over 1,000 injured), the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings (224 dead), and the 2000 USS Cole attack (17 sailors killed). He characterized pre-9/11 U.S. efforts as reactive.

In the quarter century since, Pence wrote, the approach shifted. He cited nearly 3 million deployments, more than 7,000 military deaths, and tens of thousands of wounded. He noted bin Laden's killing, the destruction of an ISIS caliphate across roughly 110,000 square kilometers, and the liberation of 7.7 million people, according to his account.

Domestically, Pence highlighted law enforcement and Border Patrol roles, and said 58 children of fallen FDNY firefighters have joined the department. He recalled the 2,977 killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and said their sacrifice, plus later military deaths, has been met by a generation of service.

Pence closed by urging remembrance of victims and gratitude for those who served, saying eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.