Statement by the Press Secretary on the Anniversary of the San Bernardino Attack

One year ago today, the people of San Bernardino endured the horror of a terrorist attack whose reverberations touched all of America. The 14 innocent men and women who were taken from us that day had come together to celebrate the holidays and represented the best of our country. Their paths to the Inland Regional Center—whose mission is to serve fellow members of the community—varied. Some of the victims were just beginning careers of service, while others had devoted decades to those around them. The brutality of the attack's perpetrators could not have been in starker contrast to the selflessness and generosity that characterized those taken from us.

In the year since this tragedy, we have mourned those we lost, just as we have continued to confront the violent ideology behind this attack as well as the terrorist groups, including ISIL, that propagate it. As the President told the nation shortly after the attack, "we will succeed in this mission because we are on the right side of history." Today, as we remember the horror of last December 2, we also recognize our progress in that campaign and the enduring truth of the President's words.