Congress finally passed historic legislation last week to overhaul the nation’s intelligence system. Members of the Sept. 11 Commission, who spent nearly two years investigating the government’s failure to detect that massive terrorist plot, believe the legislation contains the most important reforms the government can enact to try to prevent terrorism against the country.

Even so, the bill faced strong opposition, both in public and in the backrooms of Congress. A fierce fight against reform is all but guaranteed in the halls of government whenever changes of such magnitude are sought in Washington, D.C. In this battle for reform, however, there was a force greater than the inertia of the status quo.

While many deserve credit for the coming sea change in the U.S. intelligence system, including members of the Sept. 11 Commission, no one deserves the country’s gratitude more than the determined family members of those killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They turned their grief and anger into vehicles for change, and in so doing, they helped undeniably to make America safer and stronger for generations.

Just imagine for a moment being called “a 9/11 family member.” On its own, the label is a burden no one would want to carry. But these families carried that burden further than any of us could imagine. They stood up time and again in public and in the offices of powerful national leaders, conveying their personal loss and their belief that no American family ever should endure a loss like the one they experienced on Sept. 11. They did all this to compel our government to join their fight for a safer America.

While not all family members were involved and while those who stood up for reform expressed differences over the preferred final version of the legislation, no one can deny the power of their collective voices in keeping this legislation rolling forward.

The Sept. 11 Commission, because of the Bush administration’s initial opposition to it, would not have been created had it not been for the pressure exerted by families of Sept. 11 victims. The commission would have been underfunded and denied subpoena power if the families had not intervened. When the bureaucracy sought to deny the information the commission needed, the families, once again, were unafraid to exert pressure on the president and Congress to do the right thing. When the commission sought an extension to complete its work in a thorough way, the families did not rest until those who wanted a premature end to the commission backed down.

And finally, after the release of the commission’s report and recommendations, these same family members led the effort to make the recommendations the law of our land. When they thought their work was done this past summer, they had to roll up their sleeves again and fight right until the last moment to get the reforms enacted. For these families, this legislation was about far more than intelligence reform – it was about fighting terrorism on every front, achieving lasting change after suffering unforgettable losses.

We believe this intelligence reform legislation, so crucial to the safety of the American people, would not have seen the light of day without the tireless efforts of the family members who lost loved ones on Sept. 11.

The leaders of this tremendous effort deserve recognition: Carol Ashley, mother of Janice Ashley; Kristen Breitweiser, wife of Ronald Breitweiser; Patty Casazza, wife of John F. Casazza; Beverly Eckert, wife of Sean Rooney; Mary Fetchet, mother of Bradley James Fetchet; Monica Gabrielle, wife of Richard Gabrielle; Bill Harvey, husband of Sara Manley Harvey; Mindy Kleinberg, wife of Alan Kleinberg; Carie Lemack, daughter of Judy Larocque; Steve Push, husband of Lisa J. Raines; Sally Regenhard, mother of Christian Michael Otto Regenhard; Lorie Van Auken, wife of Kenneth Van Auken; and Robin Wiener, sister of Jeffrey Wiener.

We hope we speak for the nation when we express our gratitude, our respect and our deepest appreciation for the Sept. 11 families’ devotion to our country’s safety.