[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H8803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HEROES ALWAYS STEP FORWARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in the face of tragedies in 
America, heroes always step forward. America has faced its share of 
tragedies lately. The destruction of TWA flight 800, the criminal 
bombing of Centennial Park at the Atlanta Olympic games, the bombing of 
the Federal building in Oklahoma City, and the explosion at the World 
Trade Center in New York are among just a few.
  While the Nation reacts in shock and mourns for the victim, a few put 
aside their grief to do a job they have been trained well to do. They 
move quickly and efficiently among the chaos to tend to the needs of 
victims, like phantoms among the smoke and debris in an effort to find 
a cause. They are emergency personnel, and they have never failed to 
bring order, provide comfort and extend needed care during our Nation's 
darkest hours. America's emergency personnel, Federal officers, police, 
firefighters and emergency medical personnel are all too familiar with 
crisis management, and in our anger and grief they are easily 
overlooked.
  As I recently watched the events unfold off the coast of Long Island 
and in Atlanta, I was struck by the fact that there are always great 
Americans willing to help others in need, and at no small cost. No one 
can provide adequate comfort to those who have lost loved ones in the 
explosion of the TWA jumbo jet, but these men and women are there to 
try.
  It is difficult to recapture the spirit of peace and joy which the 
Olympics are supposed to represent after a terrorist act, but these 
people helping others may represent the good in humanity just as surely 
as the young competitors do, as well.
  In my own home area, we have seen in Montgomery County, PA, our 
volunteer firefighters, police, local police, rescue squad operators, 
emergency medical personnel and ambulance service professionals, how 
often we turn to them for assistance. How many of us have turned to a 
police officer for help? How many people stranded during the blizzard 
of 1996 turned to others for help? When the floods came to our 
community, our home-grown heroes responded.
  Nobody knows what makes an individual respond in the face of tragedy, 
often without regard to his or her own safety. But that is the American 
spirit. Perhaps catastrophe sparks the flame, Mr. Speaker, of human 
compassion in them. Maybe the fires of disaster temper the steel of 
their resolve.
  Whatever the reason, we must remember that they too are affected by 
such calamities, and we must do everything possible to address their 
needs when the work is done. Studies indicate that the emergency 
personnel and law enforcement officers often suffer long after the 
crisis is over.
  Many people who assisted the victims in Oklahoma City are now trying 
themselves to recover from the horror that they witnessed. Many will 
never forget the faces of those they could not help, especially the 
children. Perhaps their long-term suffering is due to the fact that 
they put their own emotions aside at the time of crisis to help others 
in greater need. Whatever the reason, it is important to remember that 
these individuals often represent hope in a sea of despair, and we must 
be there for them when the crisis is past.
  Americans are defiant in the face of terrorism, we are resolved in 
the wake of natural disasters, and these American heroes ignite the 
flame of the human spirit and strengthen our will in the face of all 
adversity. God bless our volunteers, and God bless America.

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