Chancellor Merkel: Freedom 'Must Be Struggled For'; Germany Stands With USA

"We Germans know how much we owe to you, our American friends," German Chancellor Angela Merkel just told members of the House and Senate. "We shall never — and I personally shall never, never forget this."

Merkel, as the Associated Press says, is the first German chancellor to address Congress since Konrad Adenauer in 1957.

Among the historical events she noted: The Berlin airlift of 1948-49 that fed the people of West Berlin after the Soviets blockaded much of the city.

"We shall remember and honor them forever," Merkel said of the pilots, from the U.S. and other allies, who flew those missions.

Merkel's address is being webcast by C-SPAN.org. Earlier, she met with President Barack Obama at the White House.

On a policy issue now in the news, Merkel just said a nuclear-armed Iran "is not acceptable."

Update at 11:25 a.m. ET: Our original headline was "German Chancellor Says Her Nation 'Shall Never, Never Forget' U.S. Aid". We've updated it because at the end, the chancellor spoke of overcoming the "walls of the 21st Century" and went on to tell of a Freedom Bell in Berlin. "It is a symbol of the promise of freedom," she said, and rang out on Sept. 13, 2001, to honor those killed in the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Then, speaking in English, Merkel said that bell is "a symbol which reminds us that freedom does not come about of itself. It must be strugged for."

Here's an audio clip. For the first 90 seconds, you'll hear the interpreter. Then, Merkel speaks in English: