[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 162 (Wednesday, November 28, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8556-H8560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COMMEMORATING THE LIVES OF HEROES OF SEPTEMBER 11

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Jeff Miller of Florida). Under the 
Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2001, the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Watt) is recognized for half of the remaining time until 
midnight tonight as the designee of the minority leader, approximately 
42 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject matter of 
this special order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, several weeks ago my 
colleague, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick), who 
represents the Congressional District in North Carolina which adjoins 
my Congressional District, and I got together and decided to try to 
make an effort to commemorate some of the lives of some of the people 
who were lost in the events of September 11. This was out of a sense of 
our own grief and loss, and the feeling that we should try to do 
something to honor the memory of these heroes.
  We have been trying to do 1-minute speeches on several occasions, but 
that did not work out too well. So we reserved this time this evening 
to do a more extended special order in memory of some of the heroes who 
died in the events of September 11.
  I am delighted to share this idea and effort with my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick), and I will now yield to 
her for her opening statement, and then we will go into it.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding to me.
  Very simply, this is just a time for us to say that we appreciated 
these people. Some of them were heroes to their families, some were 
heroes to their country, and I have one gentleman in my district whose 
father was a victim in New York, and I wanted to say just a word about 
him.
  His name was William Wren. My constituent's name is Christopher Wren. 
William grew up in Brooklyn and

[[Page H8557]]

served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960. After the Army, he came back 
home and attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and 
earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fire Science. Following 
graduation, he worked for 1 year with the New York Fire Department 
before joining Ladder 166 in Coney Island. After 25 years of service, 
he retired in 1990. But 3 years later, William accepted the position of 
Resident Manager for Fire Safety at the World Trade Center.
  On the morning of September 11, 2001, he called his wife of 32 years, 
Patricia, after the first plane hit the north tower, and he said, ``I'm 
okay.'' After the second plane hit, he called again and he said, ``I'm 
okay, but very busy.'' He also asked Patricia to call their neighbor to 
tell her that her husband Richard was also okay. And when the south 
tower of the World Trade Center collapsed at 10:29, both Richard and 
William left us.
  Survivors say that William and some other men, among them fellow 
retired firefighters James Corrigan and Phil Hayes, both of whom also 
died, went to building 5 to rescue children from the day care center, 
then returned to tower 2, which was the first tower to collapse. 
William Wren is a real hero. He was saving others up until the very end 
without giving a second thought to his own safety or his own life.
  William's son Christopher has shared a lot about his father with me, 
and it has been a real honor to talk to him and learn more about him. 
William is going to be missed by his family; his wife Patricia, sons 
William and Christopher, daughters-in-law Kathleen and Kathryn, 
granddaughter, Shannon, age 3, and a new grandson, William III, who was 
born yesterday to carry on the Wren tradition.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Lee).
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for 
yielding to me and for his leadership in organizing this tribute 
tonight to honor the lives of the men and women who lost their lives in 
the horrific terrorist attacks on September 11.
  The world witnessed the bravery and humanity of hundreds of men and 
women, emergency services professionals, who rushed into the World 
Trade Center following the attacks and making the ultimate sacrifice to 
rescue individuals that were in grave danger. There is really nothing 
we could do to truly give these courageous men and women the honor and 
recognition they deserve.
  Wanda Anita Green is but one of the many heroes who gave their lives 
to save the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, when United Airlines 
Flight 93 was hijacked on September 11.
  Wanda's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, my constituents, moved to 
Oakland from Oceanside, California within a year of Wanda's birth on 
August 22, 1952. Wanda, her identical twin sister Sandra, and a 
brother, Tommy, were raised in west and north Oakland, California. 
Wanda's sister, Sandra Jamerson, now lives in Antioch, California, and 
Wanda's parents and brother, Tommy Smith, still live in Oakland, 
California.
  Wanda was loved and will be missed by her daughter, Jennifer Green, 
and her son, Joe Green of Linden, New Jersey, and by many other family 
and friends. Wanda's family deeply appreciates the expressions of love 
from the people of our Nation and the comforting words and support from 
President Bush, as he personally received the families at the White 
House very recently.
  For 28 years, Wanda was living her childhood dream of earning her 
wings and working as a senior flight attendant for United Airlines. The 
family has received communications from passengers that flew with Wanda 
earlier this year, and they remember her as watching after them because 
she cared, not because it was her job. Wanda loved to travel. She 
enjoyed meeting new people, and she had a great affection for exploring 
different cultures.
  In celebration of Wanda's life, the family has established the Wanda 
Anita Green Foundation to assist urban youth in reaching their dreams 
by providing scholarships to support their education and career goals. 
Wanda loved children and was very active in the lives of her own 
children. One of Wanda's most memorable volunteer jobs was when she 
served as president of her local PTA.
  September 11 was a tragic day in the history of our Nation and of the 
world. Wanda, members of the crew, and passengers aboard United 
Airlines Flight 93 gave their lives to save others. For that, they are 
true American heroes and must be honored as such.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Wanda's family, her friends and colleagues, 
I honor the courage, the spirit, and the legacy of this great American 
hero, Wanda Anita Green, and all of those whose lives were suddenly and 
tragically lost during the unspeakable terrorist attacks of September 
11.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, continuing in the bipartisan 
manner in which we are conducting this, I yield to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood).
  Mr. GREENWOOD. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I very 
much thank my colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt), 
and my colleague, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick), 
for putting together this special order.
  I represent Bucks County in Pennsylvania, and we lost far more than 
our share of citizens on September 11. We lost at least 12, and I want 
to talk about a couple of them, if I have time.
  It was a rain-soaked day not too long ago when we had a ceremony for 
those who were killed just from one little township in my area, in 
Lower Makefield Township. And as we sat out in a park, and all of the 
families of those who were lost sat and watched and listened to the 
speakers, and I was among them, a little girl, 4 or 5 years old, her 
name was Michaela Havlish, came off her chair in the front row. She had 
lost her daddy. But she stood and sort of danced around and spun around 
and looked up at the rain coming down. Family members were trying to 
get her to sit down, but to me she was a wonderful symbol of innocence 
and the hope that this country still holds.
  Her father was Donald G. Havlish, Jr., and some of what I will refer 
to now came from the New York Times.

                              {time}  2245

  The day of September 11 was this little girl's first day in 
preschool, and it was going to be a big deal and she could not wait for 
her father to come home from work that night so she could tell him 
about it, but her father never came for.
  Donald G. Havlish, Jr., 53, was a senior vice president of Aon 
Consulting, and he was among those killed in the World Trade Center. 
That first day, Fiona Havlish told Michaela that ``Daddy's building was 
in an accident, a big accident, and nobody knows where Daddy is.'' 
Later, she changed the explanation to he is up in heaven guarding us.
  The couple was married in 1993 after a 5-year courtship. Don was a 
great stepdad to Fiona's two children, now 18 and 20. Yet at nearly 50, 
he never expected to have another shot at parenthood. He called 
Michaela, who will turn 4 on October 17, ``my little miracle.'' After 
Michaela was born, he made a point to ask business associates about 
their families, encouraging them to focus on what was important. 
Havlish stopped taking trips overnight.
  He had a law degree from Duquesne University, but made his living as 
a broker of insurance, arranging corporate benefits packages. The 
commute from their home in Yardley, Pennsylvania, to the World Trade 
Center took up to 90 minutes each way. He made it a point to get home 
by 7 every night so he could have the evening with his family.
  Since September 11, Fiona has not been back to her job as a visiting 
nurse. She holds her days together by making lists of everything that 
needs to be accomplished. Her loss drags at her like an undertow, yet 
she is determined to keep her husband's memory alive for her daughter 
and herself. She says, ``I was very lucky. I got to fall in love at 
first sight, and I got to stay in love the whole time.''
  I also want to talk about William (Bill) Godshalk. His parents are 
friends of mine. I have known them for years. They are civic leaders in 
their community. James and Grace Godshalk had 5 children. The one that 
they lost was William. He was the wildest of them all. At 10 years of 
age, he played shortstop in Little League. Once he caught a

[[Page H8558]]

ball, but he dropped it when the base runner ran into his glove. Well, 
he attacked the other player. His father walked on the field and pulled 
his son back, and his father said, ``He needed me, and I needed him so 
much.''
  James Godshalk taught his son sports, and in the process taught him 
how to calm himself. But Bill Godshalk kept his wild and adventurous 
heart even as a 35-years-old vice president at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods 
in the World Trade Center, said his fiancee. At the memorial service 
for his son, James Godshalk, was reminded of a verse by James Whitcomb 
Riley: ``Old man never had much to say 'ceptin to Bill, and Bill was 
the wildest boy he had, and the old man jes' wrapped up in him!''
  That is Bill Godshalk, and he will be missed enormously.
  I want to briefly talk about Louis Nacke. His first wedding 
anniversary would have been September 16. He was on Flight 93 on what 
would have been his first wedding anniversary, and he was feted with 
his favorite food and wine by the family he left behind. He would have 
wanted it this way, said his father-in-law, Robert Weisberg, and I 
spoke with Mr. Weisberg on the phone after September 11. ``It was very 
poignant, and we will always remember him.''
  Nacke was 42. He lived in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and he was killed 
when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in rural Pennsylvania. Nacke and 
his wife, Amy, had been living with Weisberg, Nacke's father-in-law, 
while they waited for their home to be built. He was a voracious weight 
lifter and a proactive guy who oversaw operations in K-B Toys warehouse 
in Clinton, New Jersey. He really did not want to go. He was not much 
of a flyer. Maybe 2 or 3 times a year he would fly. Timing was just 
unbelievable, said his father-in-law. Mr. Weisberg wishes he could turn 
back the clock.
  Those who knew Louis Nacke knew, because he was such a physical go-
getter, they have no doubt that he was among those who rushed the cabin 
and one of the real heroes of September 11.
  I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for organizing this Special 
Order.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for putting 
this Special Order together this evening, and I join my colleagues in 
rising to honor the brave men and women who perished on September 11.
  Mr. Speaker, we know full well that on that fateful morning, which 
really was a beautiful morning here in this country, a very clear day, 
America was visited by evil unlike any time in the history of this 
country. The victims came from all walks of life and from every racial 
and national background. They simply were lost because they were doing 
their job on that morning. We saw a lot of heroes that day. People we 
sort of take for granted, firemen, police officers, emergency 
management people and EMS employees, a lot of folks that we see every 
day and we forget how much they contribute to our society.

  But today I want to talk about the memory of one of those people who 
lost his life because he was doing the job that he was trained to do. 
He was among the men and women whom we lost on September 11, Lieutenant 
Commander Eric Cranford. He was a graduate and active alumnus of North 
Carolina State University, and was from my congressional district. He 
lost his life during the attack on the Pentagon.
  He was a Navy rescue pilot. Lieutenant Commander Cranford knew 
danger. He knew sacrifice, and it is said that courage could have been 
his middle name. If Eric had not been in the Pentagon on that fateful 
morning, or if his side of the building had not been hit, you can bet 
he would have sacrificed his own safety and risked his own life to 
rescue others, because that is what he had done before. Why? Because 
that was his job.
  I rise this evening to pay my respect to him and his wife, Emily, and 
to their entire family. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Commander Eric 
Cranford was not alone that evening. As we know, thousands of other 
American citizens perished when those four commercial planes were 
turned into missiles and aimed at buildings that define our Nation and 
symbolize our freedom and the values that all of us hold true and dear. 
These attacks result in the loss of life on a scale unparalleled in 
America since the Civil War. The victims of these senseless acts were 
our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, our brothers and 
sisters, our friends and yes, our neighbors and loved ones.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening with a heavy heart. We are at war, 
as we all know right now. A war Eric Cranford and those who lost their 
lives at the Pentagon would have been ready to fight if they had been 
called upon. Today we face one of the greatest challenges to our 
freedoms since World War II. The terrorists who committed these 
terrible acts on completely innocent men, women and children are not 
just criminals, they are mortal enemies of the United States of America 
and of freedom-loving people around the world.
  But these cowards will not hide forever, and we will pursue them and 
the international community will bring them to justice so that those 
who perished on September 11 lives will not be in vain. We will show 
the world that any enemy who chooses to test our resolve and the allies 
of America will face a similar fate. We will win this war because we 
cannot afford to fail, and we will win this war for Eric Cranford and 
the thousands who lost their lives on September 11, and we will win it 
for Eric's wife, Emily, and for the countless thousands who were left 
behind to mourn. We will win it because we are a good and a just 
Nation, and because evil must not be allowed to flourish anywhere in 
the free world. We will show these cowards that their efforts to 
terrorize us will not succeed.
  But as we turn our thoughts toward the conflict in Afghanistan and 
the global war against terrorism, let us never forget the casualties 
this war has already produced.
  Mr. Speaker, let us honor the memory of Lieutenant Commander Eric 
Cranford and every victim of this senseless attack. I thank my 
colleagues for having this Special Order.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Oregon (Mr. Walden).
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for having 
this Special Order.

  When Jennifer Brennan was pregnant with her first child, her husband, 
Thomas M. Brennan, would play Grateful Dead tapes loudly, hoping the 
music would reach the ears of the unborn daughter. When the baby 
kicked, as she invariably did, Mr. Brennan was delighted. She, too, he 
would say, was a fan.
  The last day he spent with his family, the Sunday before September 
11, Mr. Brennan, age 32, played Grateful Dead in the car in 
Westchester.
  Strapped to her car seat, Katherine, now 19 months, laughed and moved 
to the music, and that is how Mrs. Brennan would like to remember her 
husband, as the only person who could make their daughter giggle 
uncontrollably. With his wife pregnant with the couple's second child, 
a boy who was born last month, Mr. Brennan took on many of the child 
care duties. He often fed his daughter breakfast and carried her when 
she needed a hug.
  Mr. Brennan, an investment banker with Sandler O'Neill, treasured the 
time with his family, in part because he traveled constantly for work. 
Tuesday, September 11, was the only day that week that he was scheduled 
to be in the office.
  Mr. Speaker, I did not know the Brennans, and I do not know them, but 
in a way I think all of us in America knew the Brennans because this 
heinous crime, this terrorist attack, was so anonymous. It just struck 
out and hit innocent people who were living the American dream. I think 
we all are affected by it because we realize but for the grace of God, 
it could have been one of us. Just as randomly, just as anonymously, 
and just as heinously, it could have been us.
  So indeed tonight I think we all feel that it was a part of us. That 
is why we are so sympathetic and grieve at the loss that these American 
families are enduring, especially during this season.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from New York (Mrs. Maloney).
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.

[[Page H8559]]

  Mr. Speaker, there may not be another Member of Congress who lost 
more constituents in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center 
than I did. So I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. 
Myrick) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) for organizing 
this Special Order and ensuring that some of those who were lost can be 
remembered on the floor this evening of the people's House. I would 
like to mention a few people I will never forget.
  David Alger, the chief executive officer of Fred Alger Management, 
was a brilliant investment professional whose ability to select 
successful growth stocks brought tremendous prosperity to his 
investors.

                              {time}  2300

  He was also a neighbor of mine. Our daughters grew up together. I 
know Christie misses her father enormously. And I cannot believe he is 
actually gone.
  I will always remember Lindsey Herkness, a managing director at 
Morgan Stanley who died at his desk on the phone with clients. Many 
friends called him the day of the bombing to see if he was okay. His 
mailbox was full because he had hundreds of friends who he will never 
be able to call back. I feel privileged to have been one of them. I 
will never forget Lindsey's wonderful, vibrant spirit and great sense 
of humor.
  Neil Levin, head of the Port Authority and former Insurance 
Commissioner of New York State, devoted his life to public service and 
lost his life helping other people. He was last seen assisting people 
in the evacuation effort. That says it all about Neil. He was always 
helping others.
  Cat MacRae was the daughter of my good friends Cameron and Annie 
MacRae. She worked in the World Trade Center in her first job out of 
college. She had her whole life ahead of her and her future held 
tremendous problem. But like all the other people that were there that 
day, she was killed simply because she showed up for work.
  The last person I will mention, and I could go on all night, was 
literally the very first person to call 911 on 9-11. Jerry Hanlon was 
at Windows on the World. He was there for a breakfast work meeting that 
morning. He was there to make a living. And I am so sorry for his 
family that he made history instead.
  Mr. Speaker, for the last several weeks, we have been trying to 
prevent the administration from shamefully breaking its pledge of 
supplying the full $20 billion in disaster relief that is needed for 
New York City for the many unmet needs and unpaid bills that we 
confront. If they truly want to honor the victims we are talking about 
tonight, all they have to do is keep that promise.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss).
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Watt) and my classmate the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) for organizing this special order tonight and 
for getting us together to have an opportunity to talk about some real 
heroes in American history, some heroes that are the most recent heroes 
of American history. As chairman of the Subcommittee on International 
Terrorism and Homeland Security of the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence, I have had the opportunity to take my subcommittee to New 
York City to visit Ground Zero. We were there about 2 weeks after 
September 11. Not only were we there to recognize and somewhat 
memorialize the individuals who lost their lives on September 11, but 
we were also there to recognize another set of heroes, those heroes who 
had been working for 2 weeks at that time and who have been working 
since that time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to dig into the rubble 
of the World Trade Center and the rubble of the other buildings around 
the World Trade Center to restore New York City once again to its 
prominence. It was a very emotional experience for me, because as a 
former firefighter with the city of Thomasville, Georgia, I have had 
some experience in fire fighting but nothing in any wise to compare 
with the experience that the brave and courageous firefighters of the 
New York City Fire Department faced on September 11.
  But as I was there a couple of weeks after September 11, I had the 
occasion to visit with a number of firefighters, not just from New York 
City but volunteers who came from other parts of New York and other 
parts of the Northeast to assist those brave firefighters in New York 
City in going through that rubble. It was a very touching and very 
heartwarming experience to visit with those individual men and women 
about their experiences concerning their rescue efforts and the ongoing 
investigation as well as the removing of the rubble from the World 
Trade Center.

  In addition to that, I am very pleased tonight to not only recognize 
those brave individuals who lost their lives and have been involved in 
that rescue and recovery effort but also particularly to rise tonight 
and to honor an individual from my district, Army Major Wallace Cole 
Hogan, Jr. who died on September 11, 2001, at the Pentagon here in 
Washington, D.C., after the plane struck the Pentagon.
  Major Hogan grew up in Macon, Georgia, and graduated from Valdosta 
State University in Valdosta, Georgia. Shortly after graduation, he 
joined the Army National Guard as a rifle and mortar platoon leader.
  Major Hogan was truly born to serve. His time with the National Guard 
included service with the 19th Special Forces Group Airborne; commander 
of the Colorado Army National Guard, 20th Special Forces Group 
Airborne; and Alabama Army National Guard as a detachment commander. On 
April 4, 1993, Major Hogan accepted an Army active duty appointment 
with the grade of captain. He fought in the Persian Gulf War with the 
1st Special Forces Group Airborne, Fort Lewis, Washington, as a 
battalion operations officer and detachment commander. He also served 
as the commander, Special Forces Instructor Detachment, U.S. Army 
Jungle Operations Training Battalion, Fort Sherman, Panama, and was a 
member of the Green Berets.
  Major Hogan arrived at the Pentagon and joined the office of the 
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans in June of 1999. His 
work at the Pentagon included special operations staff officer in the 
Directorate of Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization and executive 
officer for the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and 
Plans. A committed serviceman, Major Hogan dedicated his entire 
professional life to the United States Army.
  Major Hogan was married to Air Force Major Pat Hogan who still 
resides in Alexandria, Virginia. His parents are dear friends of mine, 
Mr. and Mrs. Wallace C. Hogan, Sr. of Macon, Georgia.
  In a lifetime of service that spanned half the globe, Major Hogan 
served from Hawaii to Panama before coming to work at the Pentagon. His 
outstanding accomplishments have not gone unnoticed as evidenced by the 
numerous decorations and awards earned during his period of service. 
These recognitions include: The Meritorious Service Medal with two oak 
leaf clusters; Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; Army 
Achievement Medal with five oak leaf clusters; Army Reserve Components 
Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Armed Forces Reserve 
Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Special Forces Tab; Ranger Tab; Scuba Diver 
Badge; Senior Parachutist Badge; and Pathfinder Badge.
  Major Hogan and all other individuals who were at the Pentagon that 
day are real heroes. They are heroes not just because they were there 
serving their country but they were there doing their duty. They were 
there making sure that those of us who survived them continue to live 
under that great flag of freedom and democracy that all of us have been 
privileged to live under. It is my privilege and my pleasure to rise 
tonight to salute, to commemorate and to memorialize Wallace Cole 
Hogan, Jr. who served his country well.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina 
(Mr. Watt) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) for 
the thoughtful approach to this evening and to those individuals who 
sacrificed their lives on September 11. I have personally noted in the 
last 10 weeks that

[[Page H8560]]

September 11 has become a date that was an event. It will never be 
forgotten by any American nor any citizen of the world that was alive 
on that day or that will live in the future.

                              {time}  2310

  But the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) and the gentlewoman 
from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) have done something very important: 
They have given us an opportunity to also not forget the individual 
faces and the individual lives of those who were tragically taken on 
the 11th. One such person was a resident of my district, Michael Gann, 
41 years old, born in Smyrna, Georgia, and, upon his tragic death, 
residing with his wife, Robin, in Roswell, Georgia.
  On the morning of September 11, Michael and 82 other delegates to a 
financial technology conference were on the 106th floor of the first 
tower that was struck. Now, ten weeks later, none of those 83 have been 
accounted for, nor will they ever be physically accounted for, because 
of the horrible tragedy, which makes it all the more important that we 
memorialize the names and the lives of these individuals.
  You see, Michael Gann was just like a lot of other Americans. He and 
Robin had been married for less than two months. They were just 
starting their life together in the promise of America. A graduate of 
Georgia Tech, a dedicated husband, only in the shortness of their 
marriage, Robin summed up better than I certainly could ever what 
Michael was really all about. When asked shortly after his tragic loss, 
Robin said, ``Michael was the most genuine person I have ever known and 
ever met. And that's rare. He was definitely a prize.''
  Mr. Speaker, the men and women from America and those from 60 other 
countries who perished on September 11 were unwitting and unwilling 
heroes. Hopefully the loss of those lives will touch us all to see to 
it that we strive for such an event to never happen again.
  It should not pass on us without notice that yesterday a United 
States flag that flew over the World Trade Center during the recovery 
period was flown to the United States Marines who landed near Kandahar 
in Afghanistan. The significance of that event to Robin Gann in 
remembering her husband should be the memory for all of us of all of 
those individuals, for it is they for whom we fight today in 
Afghanistan, and it is for their children and their memories that the 
United States of America should win forever this battle against 
terrorism.
  I thank the gentleman from North Carolina and the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina, for they have helped us to remember that this great 
tragedy for our country was a tragedy of individual and immense 
proportion to men, women and children all over the United States of 
America, whose names and memory should be memorialized and never 
forgotten.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I believe my half of the 
special order time has expired, so I yield back so that the Chair can 
recognize the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) to control 
the balance of the time.

                          ____________________