[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 171 (Tuesday, December 11, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H9230-H9231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on the three-month anniversary 
of September 11, I rise to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the 
World Trade Center disaster--the thousands of volunteers from the 
construction trades and the New York City construction industry.
  As we all know, the rescue and recovery efforts in response to the 
attacks on the World Trade Center involved unprecedented, selfless acts 
of heroism by thousands of firefighters, police officers, Emergency 
Medical Service workers, and ordinary citizens, who all risked their 
lives to save others.
  But often overlooked is the heroism of thousands of men and women 
from the building trades who ALSO risked their lives and their

[[Page H9231]]

health working side-by-side uniformed rescue workers all along.
  These volunteers--construction workers, iron and steel workers, and 
many others--toiled alongside firefighters and police officers, digging 
tunnels and gaining access to victims by operating cranes, burning 
steel, driving trucks, and moving debris by hand as part of the 
``Bucket Brigade.''
  Many of these individuals gave their time and labor for a week or 
more, giving up their salaries, families and the comforts of daily life 
to search for survivors around the clock.
  They did so at great risk to their health as fires raged and toxic 
fumes emanated from the burning rubble.
  Three months later, those fires are still smoldering, and the fumes 
are still endangering everyone working at Ground Zero.
  But even as their boots melt from the heat of the fires below, 
hundreds of workers are persevering at the site, removing what remains 
of seven office buildings that once symbolized the center of the global 
economy.
  They embrace this unprecedented and perilous challenge out of 
enduring determination to get New York get back on its feet and one day 
restore Lower Manhattan's majesty and vibrance.
  Throughout this heartbreaking process, these unsung heroes have shown 
profound respect for the victims and their families.
  The hushed silence at the site, which lasted for many days after the 
bombing, reflected an appreciation for the magnitude of the horror--and 
the fact that they were working on the surface of a mass grave.
  I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the New York City Department 
of Construction and Design, who, at my request, preserved a segment of 
the ruins to be transformed into a national monument at an appropriate 
time in the future.
  We all remember images of steel fragments from the towers that 
plunged upright into the pavement like arrows in the hearts of all New 
Yorkers, and nearby fire trucks that were partially submerged in the 
rubble.
  Thanks to the care and respect that workers have demonstrated in 
dismantling and removing the wreckage, these images will be preserved 
in honor of those who were lost, and in remembrance of a black Tuesday 
that this nation must never forget.
  The scores of companies, organizations and union members who have 
cooperated in clearing the site with extraordinary speed, efficiency 
and safety include, but are not limited to: a special team of the New 
York City Office of Emergency Management and the New York City 
Department of Design and Construction; with main contractors Turner 
Construction Co./Plaza Construction, Bovis Construction, Amec 
Construction and Tully Construction; and dozens of subcontractors, 
including Thornton-Tomasette Engineering, LZA Engineering, New York 
Crane, Bay Crane, Cranes Inc., Slattery Association, Grace Industries, 
Big Apple Demolition, Regional Scaffolding & Hoisting, Atlantic-Heydt 
Scaffolding, York Scaffolding, Weeks Marine, and Bechtel Corp.
  In addition, many other entities worked to resolve the daily problems 
confronted by the Fire Department of New York, the New York City Police 
Department and the Port Authority Police Department in rescuing and 
recovering their own.
  Every New York City agency, especially the New York City Department 
of Sanitation and the Department of Environmental Protection, was 
involved, as were the New York State Police, The National Guard, the 
Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Army Corps of 
Engineers, Con Edison, Verizon, and the Port Authority of New York and 
New Jersey.
  Mr. Speaker, many Members of Congress and the Senate have come to 
Ground Zero. They have seen devastation, but also resilience and 
redemption in the work that's being done there.
  I know I speak for this entire body in expressing our country's deep 
appreciation for the risks taken and sacrifices made by the unsung 
heroes at Ground Zero, who have reminded us what the American spirit is 
all about.

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